Business Dictionary :
Break Down



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Break Down : verb :


(a) To stop working because of mechanical failure

• The telex machine has broken down.


• What do you do when your photocopier breaks down?


(b) To stop

• Negotiations broke down after six hours.


(c) To show all the items in a total list of costs or expenditure

• We broke the expenditure down into fixed and variable costs.


• Can you break down this invoice into spare parts and labour?


Break Down : noun :


(a) Stopping work because of mechanical failure

• We cannot communicate with our Nigerian office because of the breakdown of the telex lines.


(b) Stopping talking

• A breakdown in wage negotiations


(c) Showing details item by item

• Give me a breakdown of investment costs.

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