break down phrasal verb ( see also ↑ break )
1 . if a car or machine breaks down, it stops working:
The car broke down just north of Paris.
The printing machines are always breaking down.
⇨ ↑ breakdown
2 . to fail or stop working in a successful way:
Negotiations broke down after only two days.
I left London when my marriage broke down.
⇨ ↑ breakdown
3 . break something ↔ down if you break down a door, you hit it so hard that it breaks and falls to the ground:
Police had to break down the door to get into the flat.
4 . break something ↔ down to change or remove something that prevents people from working together and having a successful relationship with each other:
Getting young people together will help to break down the barriers between them.
It takes a long time to break down prejudices.
5 . if a substance breaks down, or something breaks it down, it changes as a result of a chemical process
break something ↔ down
Food is broken down in the stomach.
Bacteria are added to help break down the sewage.
6 . to be unable to stop yourself crying, especially in public:
He broke down and cried.
She broke down in tears when she heard the news.
7 . break something ↔ down to separate something into smaller parts so that it is easier to do or understand:
He showed us the whole dance, then broke it down so that we could learn it more easily.
The question can be broken down into two parts.
⇨ ↑ breakdown