How to Use breakdown in a Sentence

breakdown

1 of 2 noun
Definition of breakdownnext
Synonyms for breakdownnext
  • Both sides are to blame for the breakdown in communication.
  • He suffered a breakdown after his wife died.
  • The irretrievable breakdown of a marriage can be grounds for divorce.
  • The factory has had frequent equipment breakdowns.
  • Here's a breakdown of what the new chipsets will bring.
    — Michael Justin Allen Sexton, PCMAG, 15 July 2024
  • Here’s our breakdown of the winners and losers of the Rodgers deal.
    — Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2023
  • The last day is the perfect time to have your breakdown.
    — Grace Henes, The New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2022
  • See the links for further breakdowns of each pick in the draft.
    — Marlowe Alter, Detroit Free Press, 23 June 2023
  • Here's a full breakdown of all of the cameos in Love and Thunder.
    — Devan Coggan, EW.com, 8 Sep. 2022
  • When did the breakdown start and what are the deadlines now?
    — Ali Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 May 2024
  • Here's the breakdown of what makes this bun the best there ever was.
    — Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit, 30 Apr. 2017
  • There’d be all sorts of breakdowns, all sorts of chaos.
    — Kitty Donaldson, Bloomberg.com, 8 June 2018
  • But what are the odds of a complete breakdown of the system?
    — Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, 12 May 2023
  • Here is a breakdown of what to expect and when the rain will end.
    — Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2023
  • Check out the breakdown here of just how much those two things are linked.
    — Bill Landis, cleveland.com, 19 Feb. 2018
  • The conflict that led to the breakdown of talks on the night of May 1 began the day before.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 3 May 2023
  • More details the on the price and cost breakdown are below.
    — oregonlive, 17 Sep. 2022
  • Check the full schedule here for a breakdown of events.
    — Leah Prinzivalli, SELF, 17 May 2018
  • Paste in some of the work that performed the best and get a breakdown of its structure.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
  • Watch the full fight breakdown with the Cobra Kai cast above.
    — Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 13 Feb. 2025
  • For those looking for a full deep dive on the chip specs, The Verge has a great breakdown.
    — Sage Lazzaro, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2023
  • This is your one-stop shop for a breakdown of all the action.
    — Jim Reineking, USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2019
  • Stop the show and breakdown because her hair got caught?
    — Shalwah Evans, Essence, 10 June 2019
  • Check out our postgame video and podcast for a full breakdown of the game.
    — Dan Labbe, cleveland, 21 Dec. 2020
  • Read ahead for a full breakdown of what comes next for Charles.
    — Kelsie Gibson, Peoplemag, 8 Sep. 2022
  • See the city-by-city and Cuyahoga precinct breakdown at this link.
    — Rich Exner, cleveland.com, 13 May 2018
  • Kendall saves his full breakdown for the privacy of the present room.
    — Kevin Sullivan, Robb Report, 29 Nov. 2021
  • Here's a breakdown of the types of eclipses, according to NASA.
    — The Indianapolis Star, 8 Mar. 2024
  • And even more remarkable than the jump in gun deaths was the racial breakdown.
    — Dante Chinni, NBC News, 16 Apr. 2023
  • Here's a breakdown of its key features, differences from the iPhone 16, and what its release means for Apple's product lineup.
    — Dan Perry, Newsweek, 19 Feb. 2025
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break down

2 of 2 verb
  • The Lie Cops weren’t going to break down the door and bust you.
    — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 16 June 2022
  • Smith opened up about the details of that night and broke down in the process.
    — Jim Axelrod, CBS News, 13 Jan. 2024
  • Then Lance Reisland joins the show to break down the loss to the Chargers.
    — Dan Labbe, cleveland, 12 Oct. 2022
  • As the video played in court, McGaugh broke down in tears.
    — Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 15 May 2024
  • The acid in the vinegar will break down the mineral buildup.
    — Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Aug. 2024
  • Acid breaks down tarnish, and there’s just enough in ketchup to restore the shine.
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 7 Dec. 2023
  • The 2024 point-in-time count does not break down the statistics by city.
    — Abe Aboraya, Orlando Sentinel, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Here's how the Lions' picks break down by round: Round 4 — none.
    — Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, 30 Apr. 2022
  • The following is a look at how those costs break down in 2022.
    — Ashley Cullins, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2022
  • For neat cubes, first cut the squash into ½-inch slices, then break down each slice in cubes.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 16 Dec. 2024
  • Fat takes longer to break down in your body than carbs or protein.
    — Perri O. Blumberg, Men's Health, 15 Mar. 2023
  • If this structure is not sound, the entire process can break down.
    — Philip Anloague, Fortune Well, 21 Apr. 2023
  • For the good of Hollywood and the rest of us, that monoculture needs to break down.
    — Michael Cieply, Deadline, 14 July 2024
  • The truck at one point broke down outside of Cincinnati and the bar was deemed unfit to eat.
    — Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 15 Dec. 2024
  • Break It Up Small pieces of food break down much faster than larger food scraps.
    — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Dec. 2024
  • There’s a lot more to the story, which BookTokers break down for you here and here.
    — Meg Zukin, Vulture, 21 Dec. 2022
  • Under the rigors of a live, hot war, these products break down.
    — Samanth Subramanian, WIRED, 5 Oct. 2023
  • The toasting process breaks down starch and other polymers, called lignins and tannins, in the oak.
    — Michael W. Crowder, Fortune, 14 Sep. 2023
  • The study also breaks down the percentage used by each state.
    — Kristina Behr, Parents, 19 June 2024
  • The dogs who are forced to spend their lives on the end of a chain and run until their bodies break down can't wait any longer.
    — Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 15 Mar. 2024
  • When the yes votes started coming in, David Lorenz could not help but break down and sob.
    — Lee O. Sanderlin, Baltimore Sun, 10 Mar. 2023
  • Zoom has enabled both patients and providers to break down the barriers of the past.
    — Carmela Chirinos, Fortune, 17 May 2022
  • Pino was helping a man push a Toyota Forerunner that broke down at the time of the crash.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2024
  • Its enzymes first break down the wood chips, then any toxins that exist in the soil.
    — William Ralston, Wired, 26 July 2022
  • Taylor Swift is breaking down the meaning of some of her new songs.
    — Lexy Perez, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Apr. 2024
  • The stickers had to be changed and moved daily so patients’ skin didn’t break down.
    — Jessica Bartlett, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Sep. 2022
  • Sheridan had a big save in the 31st minute when Mallory Pugh made a break down the right side and took a hard shot at the goal.
    — Anne M. Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2022
  • This is a real-life plot point that our colleague Elise broke down here.
    — José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 30 Oct. 2023
  • Newsweek has broken down the timeline for you and explains how taxpayers can keep track of their refunds.
    — Giulia Carbonaro, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025
  • But in this study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Bartolo and his team were able to break down the physics of the crowd's fluctuations.
    — Jordan-Marie Smith, NPR, 7 Feb. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'breakdown.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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