as in dilapidated
in a bad or weak condition because of being old, not well cared for, etc.
A broken-down car was blocking one of the lanes of the road. His body was now broken-down after many years of hard living.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in separated
to arrange or assign according to type
when presented with the pile of files, the first thing he did was to break them down by month, order within the month, and region
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in decomposed
to go through decomposition
the enamel of a human tooth will begin to break down when exposed to sugar for too long
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in cut
to identify and examine the basic elements or parts of (something) especially for discovering interrelationships
if we break the problem down into what appear to be three aspects of it, we'll have a better chance of solving it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in crashed
to stop functioning
the computer finally broke down and had to be replaced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in cracked
to yield to mental or emotional stress
began to break down when he realized that he was on the verge of bankruptcy
Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in taken down
to take apart
the crew was breaking down the party tent when we arrived
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in shattered
to cause to break with violence and much noise
firefighters had to break down the wall to rescue the kitten
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of broken-down
Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 26 Jan. 2026
Here are the top ten states with an overall stress rank in parenthesis, each broken-down by rank order for each of the five dimensions: work stress, financial stress, family stress, health & safety stress and work-life balance rankings.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Several of the city’s small homeless campsites were broken down, leading some of the homeless to enter shelters temporarily.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
During this process, proteins in the flour are broken down into smaller compounds called peptides.
—Morgan Pearson, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2025
By the end, the team’s pitching was broken down.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Canva Financial issues, family policies and cultural shifts are generally cited as the main reasons for the decline in births, which Newsweek has broken down in detail here.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
When our bodies digest protein in food, it gets broken down into amino acids, which have a hand in many bodily processes, such as building and preserving muscle, making hormones, boosting the immune system and even maintaining healthy hair, skin and nails.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
The lamb is delivered whole, broken down by Jackman, then salted, smoked, and braised.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
The instructions reminded me of my son’s Lego sets in how they were broken down with one simple step on each page, explained using diagrams with few words.
—Clint Davis, People.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Captain Ron Galaviz, the agency's chief public information officer, reported that there were 632 stuck or broken-down cars, 327 slide-offs and 423 car crashes.
—Jen Guadarrama, IndyStar, 26 Jan. 2026
Here are the top ten states with an overall stress rank in parenthesis, each broken-down by rank order for each of the five dimensions: work stress, financial stress, family stress, health & safety stress and work-life balance rankings.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
The Herald report found that most of the Proterra buses had broken down within a year of deployment and were pulled from routes as maintenance requests piled up.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Several of the city’s small homeless campsites were broken down, leading some of the homeless to enter shelters temporarily.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
During this process, proteins in the flour are broken down into smaller compounds called peptides.
—Morgan Pearson, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2025
By the end, the team’s pitching was broken down.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Canva Financial issues, family policies and cultural shifts are generally cited as the main reasons for the decline in births, which Newsweek has broken down in detail here.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
When our bodies digest protein in food, it gets broken down into amino acids, which have a hand in many bodily processes, such as building and preserving muscle, making hormones, boosting the immune system and even maintaining healthy hair, skin and nails.
—Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
The lamb is delivered whole, broken down by Jackman, then salted, smoked, and braised.
—The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Sep. 2025
The instructions reminded me of my son’s Lego sets in how they were broken down with one simple step on each page, explained using diagrams with few words.
—Clint Davis, People.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken-down
Adjective
-
The project was planned to clear the area of outdated and dilapidated buildings, to attract new businesses and promote economic revitalization.—
Jessica Alvarado Gamez,
Denver Post,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The trip could also see China give the go-ahead for the UK to rebuild its dilapidated embassy in Beijing.—
Brendan Murray,
Bloomberg,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Officials said the project could benefit the salamander by reconnecting habitat areas that have been separated by erosion.—
Dante Motley,
Austin American Statesman,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The living and sleeping areas can be separated by a curtain, giving the feeling of a two-bedroom suite.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Fifty-six days later, homicide investigators arrive at Oliver’s apartment to find an unidentified body—brutally murdered and intentionally decomposed.—
Jessica Radloff,
Glamour,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The body was decomposed, a fire official said.—
Joe Marusak,
Charlotte Observer,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In the men's singles final in figure skating, the NBC telecast just cut to a shot of American Max Naumov, who was juggling a soccer ball.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Catherine’s brother Hindley, a vicious bully whose abuse is part of what drives Cathy and Heathcliff so closely together, is cut entirely, his role combined with Catherine’s father.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The helicopter crashed about 50 feet from a BNSF Railway line and spread debris across the tracks, according to the railway.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Three people were killed and six more were wounded on Thursday after a car hit a bicyclist and crashed into a grocery store in Los Angeles, according to authorities.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Alexander Bublik, who switched through a similar mechanism, cracked the men’s top 10 for the first time last month.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Get rid of unlabeled, expired, leaking, or cracked cleaners for safety reasons.—
Tessa Cooper,
The Spruce,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Some half-heartedly criticized it after it was taken down.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Game action was halted for several minutes while the fan was taken down and eventually escorted off the field.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Richarlison had just scored, and all of the momentum was with Spurs, but Romero’s dismissal shattered their chances of finding an equaliser.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
8 Feb. 2026
-
That tranquility was shattered when deputies with the Sheriff's Department had journalists leave the area and blocked off streets with deputies and traffic cones.—
Sarah Lapidus,
AZCentral.com,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broken-down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken-down. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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