breakdown

Meanings

Plural: breakdowns

Noun

• the act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue
  • "his warning came after the breakdown of talks in London"
• a mental or physical breakdown
• a cessation of normal operation
  • "there was a power breakdown"
• an analysis into mutually exclusive categories
• A failure, particularly one which is mechanical in nature.
• A failure, particularly one which is mechanical in nature.
• The sudden (and usually damaging) transition of an electrical insulator to a conductor when subjected to a sufficiently strong voltage, caused by the partial or complete ionization of the insulator; (countable) an instance of this; also, the minimum voltage at which this occurs.
• Something, such as a vehicle, that has experienced a mechanical failure.
• Separation of a thing into components; decomposition, fragmentation; (countable) an instance of this.
• Detailed categorization, or itemization or listing, of the components of a thing; (countable) an instance of this.
• Separation of a thing into components; decomposition, fragmentation; (countable) an instance of this.
• Breaking of chemical bonds within a compound to produce simpler compounds or elements; (countable) an instance of this.
• Separation of a thing into components; decomposition, fragmentation; (countable) an instance of this.
• A detailed description of a forthcoming project or screenplay which identifies all the required elements, such as the cast, costumes, equipment, props, and special effects.
• A failure in a relationship; a failure or loss of organization in a system.
• (Sudden) worsening of physical health or (more commonly) mental stability, resulting in an inability to carry on normal activities; (countable) an instance of this.
• Injury to a horse's leg causing lameness; (countable) an instance of this.
• The short period of open play immediately after a tackle and before and during the ensuing ruck.
• 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.
• 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).
• 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”).
• 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.
• A piece of music played for such a dance, especially a rapid bluegrass tune featuring a five-string banjo.
• An act of a structure or other thing breaking and collapsing.

Synonyms

crack-up, dislocation, equipment failure, partitioning, percussion break

Related Words

break down, break it down, meltdown