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1. The act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue
   "his warning came after the breakdown of talks in London";
   - dislocation
    
2. A mental or physical breakdown
   - crack-up
    
3. (biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action
   - decomposition, rot, rotting, putrefaction, biodegradation
    
4. A cessation of normal operation
   "there was a power breakdown";
   - equipment failure
    
5. An analysis into mutually exclusive categories
   - partitioning
    
6. (chemistry) separation of a substance into two or more substances that may differ from each other and from the original substance
   - decomposition, decomposition reaction, chemical decomposition reaction

1. Make ineffective
   "Martin Luther King tried to break down racial discrimination";
   - crush
    
2. Make a mathematical, chemical, or grammatical analysis of; break down into components or essential features
   "break down today's financial market";
   - analyze [N. Amer], analyse [Brit, Cdn], dissect, take apart
    
3. Lose control of one's emotions
   "When she heard that she had not passed the exam, she broke down completely";
   - lose it, snap
    
4. Stop operating or functioning
   "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town";
   - fail, go bad, give way, die, give out, conk out [informal], go, break, pack up [Brit, informal]
    
5. Fall apart
   "Negotiations broke down";
   - crumble, crumple, tumble, collapse
    
6. Cause to fall or collapse
    
7. (chemistry) separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts
   - decompose, break up
    
8. Fall or become unconscious due to fatigue, illness, or a sudden attack
   - collapse

Derived forms: broke down, breaks down, breaking down, breakdowns, broken down

Type of: act, alter, analysis, analytic thinking, behave, break, bust [informal], change, change integrity, chemical reaction, collapse, decay, disruption, do, failure, get, have, modify, perturbation, prostration, reaction, separate, suffer, sustain

Encyclopedia: Breakdown