# break down

> English word · Verb

## Definitions
1. To stop functioning.
2. To unexpectedly collapse, physically or in structure.
3. To intentionally demolish; to pull down.
4. To fail, especially socially or for political reasons.
5. To give in or give up: relent, concede, surrender.
6. To render or to become unstable due to stress, to collapse physically or mentally.
7. To render or to become weak and ineffective.
8. To (cause to) decay, to decompose.
9. To separate into a number of parts.
10. To divide into parts to give more details, to provide a more indepth analysis of.
11. To digest.
12. Bust down or bust a move; the act of performing energetic, often freestyle or hip-hop moves, frequently during a song’s instrumental break where only drums or bass are playing.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/break-down