to break down
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To lose all control of one's feelings; to collapse, to become hysterical. A break-down is a temporary collapse in health; it is also the name given to a wild kind of negro dance.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to break down” mean?
To lose all control of one's feelings; to collapse, to become hysterical. A break-down is a temporary collapse in health; it is also the name given to a wild kind of negro dance.
Is “to break down” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.