Breakdown

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Dictionary Meaning and Definition on 'Breakdown'

Breakdown Meaning and Definition from WordNet (r) 2.0
    breakdown n
  1. the act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue; "the social dislocations resulting from government policies"; "his warning came after the breakdown of talks in London" [syn: dislocation]
  2. a mental or physical breakdown [syn: crack-up]
  3. a cessation of normal operation; "there was a power breakdown" [syn: equipment failure]
  4. an analysis into mutually exclusive categories [syn: partitioning]
Breakdown Meaning and Definition from Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
    Breakdown \Break"down`\, n.
  1. The act or result of breaking down, as of a carriage; downfall. 2. (a) A noisy, rapid, shuffling dance engaged in competitively by a number of persons or pairs in succession, as among the colored people of the Southern United States, and so called, perhaps, because the exercise is continued until most of those who take part in it break down. (b) Any rude, noisy dance performed by shuffling the feet, usually by one person at a time. [U.S.] Don't clear out when the quadrilles are over, for we are going to have a breakdown to wind up with. --New Eng. Tales.
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Wikipedia Meaning and Definition on 'Breakdown'


  • Breakdown: NOTOC_ Breakdown may refer to: Breakdown (vehicle), the operational failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that the vehicle cannot be ...
  • Mental breakdown: Mental breakdown (also known as a nervous breakdown) is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific ...
  • Electrical breakdown: The term electrical breakdown has several similar but distinctly different meanings. For example, the term can apply to the failure of an ...
  • Breakdown voltage: The breakdown voltage of an insulator is the minimum voltage that causes a portion of an insulator to become electrically conductive . ...
  • Breakdown (film): Breakdown is a 1997 American thriller film, written and directed by Jonathan Mostow . The film stars Kurt Russell , J. T. Walsh and ...
  • Breakdown (Transformers): Breakdown is the name of several fictional characters in the various Transformers universes . He should not be confused with the Autobot ...
  • Breakdown (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song): "Breakdown" is the first single from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ' self-titled debut album. Single track listings ": "Breakdown" b/w "The ...

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'Breakdown' in famous quotation sentence


* One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important. - Bertrand Russell

* The first sign of a nervous breakdown is when you start thinking your work is terribly important. - Milo Bloom

* The common dogma of fundamentalists is fear of modern knowledge, inability to cope with the fast change in a scientific-technological society, and the real breakdown in apparent moral order in recent years.... That is why hate is the major fuel, fear is the cement of the movement, and superstitious ignorance is the best defence against the dangerous new knowledge. ... When you bring up arguments that cast serious doubts on their cherished beliefs you are not simply making a rhetorical point, you are threatening their whole Universe and their immortality. That provokes anger and quite frequently violence. ... Unfortunately you cannot reason with them and you even risk violence in confronting them. Their numbers will decline only when society stabilizes, and adapts to modernity. - G Gaia


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Breakdown Sample Sentences in News


  • Attempts to tackle family breakdown 'held back by coalition tug of war' - The Guardian
    A political "tug of war" between the coalition partners is holding back work on tackling the breakdown of family life in Britain, a thinktank established by the work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, has warned. The decision by the ... Read more on this news related to 'Breakdown'
  • Post-Draft Eagles Defensive End Breakdown - NBC Philadelphia
    What the Eagles did: Back in February, I ran the numbers on the pass rush from Jim Washburn's Wide 9 defensive line scheme. The results were telling: While production was way up across the entire group (thanks Wash), there was a clear separation. Read more on this news related to 'Breakdown'
  • Dos Santos vs. Mir: Breakdown - Examiner
    On Saturday, May 26, the much anticipated heavyweight showdown between UFC champ Junior Dos Santos and former UFC champ Frank Mir will take place at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, but who will leave the octagon as the victor? Here is a ... Read more on this news related to 'Breakdown'

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