break down

verb

1. 1

   collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack

2. 2

   separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts

3. 3

   stop operating or functioning

   The engine finally went

   The car died on the road

4. 4

   make a mathematical, chemical, or grammatical analysis of; break down into components or essential features

   analyze a specimen

   analyze a sentence

5. 5

   make ineffective

   Martin Luther King tried to break down racial discrimination

6. 6

   cause to fall or collapse

7. 7

   lose control of one's emotions

   When she heard that she had not passed the exam, she lost it completely

   When her baby died, she snapped

8. 8

   fall apart

   the building crumbled after the explosion

   Negotiations broke down