breakdown

noun18

1. •
   a fault that suddenly stops a machine or a car from working

   • Whenever he was behind the wheel, he would panic at the first sign of a breakdown.
2. •
   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.
3. •
   (figurative) A failure in a relationship; a failure or loss of organization in a system.

   • I am quite competent to answer all / Demands, in any such capacity— / But of the break-down of my general aims: […] — 1835
4. •
   Detailed categorization, or itemization or listing, of the components of a thing; (countable) an instance of this.

   • Looking at the breakdown of the budget, I see a few items we could cut.
5. •
   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.
6. •
   (figurative) (Sudden) worsening of physical health or (more commonly) mental stability, resulting in an inability to carry on normal activities; (countable) an instance of this.

   • After so much stress, he suffered a breakdown and simply gave up.
7. •
   Separation of a thing into components; decomposition, fragmentation; (countable) an instance of this.
8. •
   Breaking of chemical bonds within a compound to produce simpler compounds or elements; (countable) an instance of this.
9. •
   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).

   • And now it's time for a breakdown. — 1992
10. •
    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.
11. •
    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”).
12. •
    Something, such as a vehicle, that has experienced a mechanical failure.

    • We saw a breakdown by the side of the road.
13. •
    The short period of open play immediately after a tackle and before and during the ensuing ruck.
14. •
    (Southern-US) A piece of music played for such a dance, especially a rapid bluegrass tune featuring a five-string banjo.

    • Without a change of countenance, as if he were deaf to her entreaties and threats, he tuned up the banjo, and played a breakdown. — 1898
15. •
    Injury to a horse's leg causing lameness; (countable) an instance of this.
16. •
    (Southern-US, old-fashioned) 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.

    • Come, hold on, boys, do n't clear out when the quadrilles are over, for we are going to have a break down to wind up with. — 1859
17. •
    [before a noun] 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.
18. •
    (no longer used) An act of a structure or other thing breaking and collapsing.