breakdown🔊

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; 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; an instance of this.

Detailed categorization, or itemization or listing, of the components of a thing; an instance of this.

Breaking of chemical bonds within a compound to produce simpler compounds or elements; 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.

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

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

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

(figurative, rugby union) The short period of open play immediately after a tackle and before and during the ensuing ruck.

(figurative, originally and chiefly New Zealand) 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.

(music) 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).

(music) 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. +

(music) 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.

(chiefly Southern US,dance, dated) 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.

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

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