breakdown

breakdown — noun

1. a situation where a machine, system, plan, discussion, or relationship stops wor

1.nounB2
Definition

a situation where a machine, system, plan, discussion, or relationship stops working properly or cannot continue successfully.

Example

An engine breakdown left Priya's bus blocking the bridge at dawn.

compound noun: gearbox breakdown

After weeks of shouting, the breakdown in talks at city hall was obvious.

breakdown in + activity noun

Common collocations
  • engine breakdown
  • communication breakdown
  • breakdown in talks
  • breakdown of trust
  • complete breakdown
Synonyms
  • failure

    broader; can describe any lack of success, not only something stopping mid-process

  • collapse

    stronger; suggests a sudden and often complete end

  • malfunction

    mainly for machines or equipment, not talks or relationships

  • disruption

    often temporary; does not always mean total failure

Antonyms
  • recovery

    a return to normal working order after trouble

Grammar Patterns

breakdown in + noun

breakdown of + noun

Usage Note

Often followed by 'in' when naming the area that failed ('a breakdown in communication') and by 'of' when naming what collapsed ('a breakdown of trust'). For vehicles and machines, speakers often add a specific noun before it, such as 'engine breakdown' or 'brake breakdown'.

Common Mistakes

My car was in breakdown on the highway.
My car had a breakdown on the highway.
this noun usually goes with 'have' or 'suffer', not 'be in'.
Please send me the breakdown in each cost.
Please send me a breakdown of each cost.
use 'of' when you mean separate parts in a list.

2. a list or explanation that separates a total into smaller groups or amounts so t

2.nounC2
Definition

a list or explanation that separates a total into smaller groups or amounts so that each part can be seen clearly.

Example

The finance team sent Omar a breakdown of travel costs by city.

breakdown of + costs/data

On the last slide, the age breakdown showed most visitors were children.

compound noun: age breakdown

Common collocations
  • cost breakdown
  • budget breakdown
  • age breakdown
  • breakdown by department
  • detailed breakdown
Synonyms
  • itemization

    stresses listing each separate item one by one

  • analysis

    broader; can include explanation and judgement, not only dividing into parts

  • summary

    more general; may stay brief and not separate all the parts

  • split

    informal; often used for proportions or how money is shared

Antonyms
  • total

    shows the combined amount without separating the parts

Grammar Patterns

breakdown of + amount/data

breakdown by + category

Usage Note

Common after 'of' or 'by' when numbers are sorted into parts, as in 'a breakdown of costs' or 'a breakdown by age'. Distinguish from sense 5: here the result is a table, list, or explanation, not a substance changing physically.

Common Mistakes

Please breakdown the numbers for me.
Please give me a breakdown of the numbers.
'breakdown' is a noun; the verb is 'break down'.

3. a period when someone becomes so mentally or physically exhausted that they cann

3.nounB2
Definition

a period when someone becomes so mentally or physically exhausted that they cannot manage ordinary life or work.

Example

After months of night shifts, the junior doctor had a breakdown.

have a breakdown

After her breakdown last winter, Leila took three months away from work.

Common collocations
  • nervous breakdown
  • mental breakdown
  • emotional breakdown
  • have a breakdown
Synonyms
  • collapse

    more dramatic and sudden; can also be physical only

  • burnout

    usually more gradual and strongly linked to overwork

  • crisis

    broader; may describe a difficult period without complete collapse

Antonyms
  • recovery

    the period of becoming stable and well again

Grammar Patterns

have a breakdown

nervous/mental/emotional breakdown

Usage Note

Most often used with 'have' or 'suffer', and with adjectives such as 'nervous', 'mental', and 'emotional'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about a person's condition, not a machine or system failing.

Common Mistakes

My printer had a breakdown, so I stayed in bed all week.
I had a breakdown, so I stayed in bed all week.
only people can have this health sense.

4. a short phase after a tackle when players from both teams try to win the ball on

4.noun
Definition

a short phase after a tackle when players from both teams try to win the ball on the ground.

Example

At the breakdown, Hana kept the ball safe until two teammates reached her.

at the breakdown

The referee blew his whistle when two players entered the breakdown from the side.

enter the breakdown

Common collocations
  • at the breakdown
  • enter the breakdown
  • win the breakdown
  • slow the breakdown
Synonyms
  • ruck

    more specific; a ruck is one common kind of breakdown under rugby laws

  • contest

    broader; can describe any fight for the ball

Grammar Patterns

at the breakdown

enter the breakdown

Usage Note

Rugby-only. Common with 'at' or 'around', and with verbs like 'enter', 'win', and 'slow'. It is not used for football or other team sports.

Common Mistakes

The striker controlled the breakdown near the goal.
The flanker controlled the breakdown after the tackle.
this term belongs to rugby, not football.

5. the process in which a substance changes into smaller parts or simpler materials

5.nounC1
Definition

the process in which a substance changes into smaller parts or simpler materials because of heat, chemicals, or natural action.

Example

Warm weather speeds the breakdown of food waste in the garden bin.

breakdown of + substance

Scientists studied the breakdown of plastic bags in sea water.

Common collocations
  • breakdown of waste
  • breakdown of plastic
  • chemical breakdown
  • thermal breakdown
Synonyms
  • decomposition

    more technical and often used in science

  • decay

    common for slow natural damage, especially in plants or food

  • disintegration

    stresses falling apart into pieces

Antonyms
  • formation

    the process of being made or built up

Grammar Patterns

breakdown of + substance

Usage Note

Usually followed by 'of' plus the substance, as in 'the breakdown of leaves' or 'the breakdown of oil'. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 5 describes a physical change in the material itself, not a list of its parts.

Common Mistakes

We watched the breakdown of the budget in the lab.
We watched the breakdown of the plastic in the lab.
this sense takes substances, not numbers or plans.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Breakdown' suggests that something was working or continuing and then stopped because its parts, process, or relationship no longer held together. 'Failure' is broader: a plan can be a failure even if it ran to the end. 'Collapse' is stronger and more sudden, often suggesting complete ruin, as in 'the collapse of the bridge' or 'the collapse of negotiations'. 'Malfunction' fits machines and equipment best, and sounds technical. 'Disruption' is weaker: it often means there was trouble or delay, but not total failure. So a bus with an engine problem may have a 'breakdown' or 'malfunction'; peace talks that end suddenly may end in a 'breakdown' or 'collapse'; a late train caused by a brief signal problem is usually a 'disruption'.

breakdown ↗failure ↗collapse ↗malfunctiondisruption ↗

Common collocations

Prepositions

  • breakdown of
  • breakdown in
  • breakdown by

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

Built in English from the phrasal verb 'break down'. 'Break' goes back to Old English 'brecan', meaning 'split' or 'destroy', and 'down' adds the idea of falling, weakening, or being reduced. The noun first kept a fairly literal sense of something collapsing or being separated into parts. Later English widened it to failures in machines, systems, talks, and relationships, and then to a person's mental or physical collapse. The 'division into parts' sense still shows the older literal idea most clearly.