Break down
Break down verb - To cause to break with violence and much noise.
Usage example: firefighters had to break down the wall to rescue the kitten
Crush is a synonym for break down in demolish topic. In some cases you can use "Crush" instead a verb "Break down", when it comes to topics like make or become wrinkled.
Crush
Crush verb - Make ineffective.
Both terms in one sentence
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Averted with the Doomsday Harrier and Hellfire Harrier bosses, which begin to break down as they get low on health, forcing them to land so the pilot can take potshots at you with a grenade launcher, or just crush you with the aircraft itself.
Source: Video Game / Mercenary Kings - She's also Russia's Ax-Crazy Stalker with a Crush, going so far as to hunt him down with knives and break down a door when he barricades himself in an attempt to hide from her.
Source: Big Brother Attraction -
It's worth noting that the oils in these branches is highly flammable and has fungicide properties, meaning that they break down very slowly and present a lingering fire hazard even after trying to crush you.
Source: Death World
Cite this Source
Crush and Break down. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/break_down/crush
Break down & Crush. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/break_down/crush>.
Crush or Break down. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/break_down/crush.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "break down" and "crush" have occurred on timeline