| 词组 | break down |
| 释义 | break down 1. break down if a vehicle or a machine breaks down, it stops working because there is something wrong with it: ▪ I don't believe it - the photocopier's broken down again! ▪ A truck broke down half way up the hill, causing a long line of traffic. ■ SIMILAR TO: ↑conk out informal breakdown n C when a vehicle stops working while you are travelling in it, because there is something wrong with it: ▪ That's the second breakdown we've had this month. broken-down adj always before noun a broken-down vehicle or machine is old and has stopped working: ▪ There was a broken-down car at the side of road, with smoke pouring out of it. 2. break down if a discussion, system, relationship etc breaks down, it fails because there are problems or disagreements: ▪ According to the statistics, two out of three marriages break down and end in divorce. ▪ Negotiations between the two governments broke down last year, when they were unable to reach an agreement. ■ SIMILAR TO: collapse breakdown n C,U when something fails because there are problems or disagreements: ▪ a breakdown in communication ▪ Marriage breakdown accounts for a large number of one-parent families. 3. break down to be unable to control yourself and start to cry, especially in front of other people break down in tears ▪ "You have to help me," O'Neil said, and he broke down in tears. 4. break down to become mentally ill because you cannot deal with all your problems or there is too much pressure on you: ▪ When her husband died, she broke down completely and had to be looked after by her son. ▪ You can't possibly work under this amount of pressure without breaking down in the end. ■ SIMILAR TO: ↑crack up informal (nervous) breakdown n C usually singular when you become mentally or physically ill because you cannot deal with all your problems or there is too much pressure on you have a breakdown ▪ Marty needs to relax more, or she'll end up having a nervous breakdown. 5. break down sth • break sth down to hit something such as a door or wall so hard that it breaks and falls to the ground: ▪ Police broke down the door and searched the building. ■ SIMILAR TO: ↑smash down 6. break down sth • break sth down to separate something into smaller parts so that you can deal with it or understand it more easily + into ▪ The project has been broken down into a series of tasks which can be carried out in stages. ▪ The best way to deal with all this information, is to break it down into categories. breakdown n C an explanation of the details of something, divided into different parts, especially about the cost of something: ▪ Can you give me a detailed breakdown of how much the whole thing would cost? 7. break down sth • break sth down to change someone's ideas or attitudes, especially when you thing that they are wrong or prevent you from making progress: ▪ We aim to break down racial prejudice through education and greater understanding of other cultures. ▪ She had hoped that she would eventually be able to break down his coldness, but he remained as distant as ever. ■ SIMILAR TO: overcome breakdown n C usually singular when an idea or tradition ends or is ended: ▪ the breakdown of traditional attitudes to work 8. break down sth • break sth down to get rid of something that prevents you from doing what you want, especially a situation or system that has existed for a long time break down barriers ▪ We must continue our efforts to break down the barriers that prevent our companies from competing freely in Europe. ▪ Modern telecommunications are breaking down the age-old barriers of time and distance. ■ SIMILAR TO: overcome 9. break down sth • break sth down • break down if a substance breaks down, or something breaks it down, it changes as a result of a chemical process: ▪ Bacteria break down the animal waste to form methane gas. + into ▪ Cabohydrates break down into sugar in the body. breakdown n singular when a substance changes as a result of a chemical process: ▪ This illness prevents the breakdown of certain proteins in the digestive system. |
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