BREAKDOWN Word Analysis

(countable) A failure, particularly one which is mechanical in nature.

(countable) Something, such as a vehicle, that has experienced a mechanical failure.

(uncountable) Separation of a thing into components; decomposition, fragmentation; (countable) an instance of this.

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

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

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

The short period of open play immediately after a tackle and before and during the ensuing ruck.

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.

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).

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”)

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.

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

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