breakdown

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   A failure, particularly one which is mechanical in nature.

   • Whenever he was behind the wheel, he would panic at the first sign of a breakdown.
   • He declared that these drastic steps would undoubtedly inconvenience a good many people, but the alternative was bankruptcy of the Ulster Transport Authority and the breakdown of public transport services.
2. 2

   Something, such as a vehicle, that has experienced a mechanical failure.

   • We saw a breakdown by the side of the road.
3. 3

   Separation of a thing into components

   Separation of a thing into components; decomposition, fragmentation; (countable) an instance of this.

   • Looking at the breakdown of the budget, I see a few items we could cut.
   • The railways' monopoly had meant that accountancy and record-keeping had been limited to global accounts. In other words, there were only really headline numbers, with little useful breakdown by routes or traffic type.
4. ›+ 11 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      A failure in a relationship

      A failure in a relationship; a failure or loss of organization in a system.

      • I am quite competent to answer all / Demands, in any such capacity— / But of the break-down of my general aims: […]
      • What else than Feudalism could have followed upon the breakdown of that great centralized governmental machine known as the Roman Empire?
   2. 5

      (Sudden) worsening of physical health or (more commonly) mental stability, resulting in…

      (Sudden) worsening of physical health or (more commonly) mental stability, resulting in an inability to carry on normal activities; (countable) an instance of this.

      • After so much stress, he suffered a breakdown and simply gave up.
      • [H]e was led away to a private sanitarium for mental disease, while in the newspapers appeared pathetic accounts of his mental breakdown and of the saintliness of his character.
   3. 6

      Injury to a horse's leg causing lameness

      Injury to a horse's leg causing lameness; (countable) an instance of this.

   4. 7

      The short period of open play immediately after a tackle and before and during the…

      The short period of open play immediately after a tackle and before and during the ensuing ruck.

   5. 8

      An act of splitting logs of wood using a large saw in a sawmill

      An act of splitting logs of wood using a large saw in a sawmill; also, the saw used; or (rare) the building in which the process is carried out.

   6. 9

      A part of a piece of music or a song which differs from the other parts in that it…

      A part of a piece of music or a song which differs from the other parts in that it features improvisation or is stripped down (for example, played by fewer instruments or a solo performer).

      • And now it's time for a breakdown.
      • Izzy [Stradlin] lays down some big chords while Slash plays the song's banjo breakdown of a theme.
   7. 10

      Synonym of percussion break (“a percussion-focused segment of a song, chosen by a hip-hop…

      Synonym of percussion break (“a percussion-focused segment of a song, chosen by a hip-hop DJ to manipulate through cutting, mixing, and other techniques in order to create rhythmic music”).

   8. 11

      A section of a song, typical in hardcore music and related styles (such as metalcore,…

      A section of a song, typical in hardcore music and related styles (such as metalcore, grindcore, and deathcore), characterized by a lower tempo and greater heaviness and intensity of sound.

      • The fired-up foursome [Trial] takes itself very seriously, singing politically charged lyrics, which, in the tradition of Strife and Damnation AD, are strategically placed in the middle of slamming, moshable breakdowns.
   9. 12

      A noisy, rapid, shuffling dance engaged in competitively by a number of individuals or…

      A noisy, rapid, shuffling dance engaged in competitively by a number of individuals or pairs in succession, common among African-Americans from the Southern United States; also, a lively event, chiefly in a rural setting, at which such dancing is done; a hoedown, a shindig.

      • Come, hold on, boys, do n't clear out when the quadrilles are over, for we are going to have a break down to wind up with.
   10. 13

       A piece of music played for such a dance, especially a rapid bluegrass tune featuring a…

       A piece of music played for such a dance, especially a rapid bluegrass tune featuring a five-string banjo.

       • Without a change of countenance, as if he were deaf to her entreaties and threats, he tuned up the banjo, and played a breakdown.
       • The banjo built up to breakdown speed and then took a sidestep into another register, an oddly complex net of notes which stretched out for a time and finally stopped on a full rest.
   11. 14

       An act of a structure or other thing breaking and collapsing.

The neighborhood

• neighborbreak down
• neighborbreak it down
• neighbormeltdown