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Phrase(s): break someone down
to force someone to give up and tell secrets or agree to do something. • After threats of torture, they broke the spy down. • They broke down the agent by threatening violence., Phrase(s): break down (and cry)
to surrender to demands or emotions and cry. • Max finally broke down and confessed. • I was afraid I would break down and cry from the sadness I felt., Phrase(s): break something down
1. Lit. to tear something down; to destroy something. • They used an ax to break the door down. • We broke down the wall with big hammers. 2. Fig. to destroy a social or legal barrier. • The court broke a number of legal barriers down this week. • They had to break down many social prejudices to manage to succeed., Phrase(s): break something down (for someone)
Fig. to explain something to someone in simple terms or in an orderly fashion. (Alludes to breaking a complex problem into smaller segments which can be explained more easily. See also break something down (into something).) • She doesn’t understand. You will have to break it down for her. • I can help. This is a confusing question. Let me break down the problem for you., Phrase(s): break down
1. Lit. [for something] to fall apart; [for something] to stop operating. • The air-conditioning broke down, and we got very warm. • The car broke down on the long trip. 2. Fig. [for one] to lose control of one's emotions; [for one] to have an emotional or psychological crisis. • He couldn't keep going. He finally broke down. • I was afraid I'd break down. 3. Go to break down (and cry)., Phrase(s): break something down (into something)
1. to reduce a compound or its structure to its components. • Heat will break this down into sodium and a few gases. • Will heat break down this substance into anything useful? • We broke it into little pieces. 2. to reduce a large numerical total to its subparts and explain each one. • She broke the total down into its components. • Please break down the total into its parts again. • I’ll break the total down for you. 3. to discuss the details of something by examining its subparts. (See also break something down (for someone).) • Let’s break this problem down into its parts and deal with each one separately. • Breaking down complex problems into their components is almost fun. • Let’s break this issue down and discuss it.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
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1. Demolish, destroy, either physically or figuratively, as in The carpenters broke down the partition between the bedrooms, or The governor's speeches broke down the teachers' opposition to school reform. [Late 1300s] 2. Separate into constituent parts, analyze. For example, I insisted that they break down the bill into the separate charges for parts and labor, or The chemist was trying to break down the compound's molecules. [Mid-1800s] 3. Stop functioning, cease to be effective or operable, as in The old dishwasher finally broke down. [Mid-1800s] 4. Become distressed or upset; also, have a physical or mental collapse, as in The funeral was too much for her and she broke down in tears, or After seeing all his work come to nothing, he broke down and had to be treated by a psychiatrist. [Late 1800s]
American Heritage Idioms