break down

1. make a mathematical, chemical, or grammatical analysis of; break down into components or essential features; "analyze a specimen"; "analyze a sentence"; "analyze a chemical compound"

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2. make ineffective; "Martin Luther King tried to break down racial discrimination"

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3. 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"

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4. stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went"; "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke"; "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight went after the accident"

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5. separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts

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6. fall apart; "the building crimbled after the explosion"; "Negociations broke down"

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7. cause to fall or collapse

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

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