Break down
Break down verb - To arrange or assign according to type.
Explain and break down are semantically related in figure out topic. In some cases you can use "Explain" instead a verb "Break down", when it comes to topics like make easy.
Explain
Explain verb - To make plain or understandable.
Usage example: a pamphlet that explains the medical procedure in language that any layperson can understand
Break down and explain are semantically related in make clear topic. Sometimes you can use "Break down" instead a verb "Explain".
Both terms in one sentence
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Only Sane Man - Alan McMann is this when trying to explain Rebecca's antics, though that starts to break down.
Source: Film / American Dreamer -
Similarly, in Going Postal, the Smoking Gnu explain to Moist that you can't refer to... The Woodpecker (a method of exploiting the mechanical flaws in semaphore towers to make them break down, like a Steam Punk computer virus) as simply the Woodpecker.
Source: Dramatic Ellipsis -
Idiot Ball: Ben, Rook, and Kevin take a long time figuring out how to break down a locked door in "Mystery, Incorporeal" so that Darkstar has time to explain his ritual to one of his minions (and therefore the viewers).
Cite this Source
Explain and Break down. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 22, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/break_down/explain
Break down & Explain. N.p., 2016. Web. 22 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/break_down/explain>.
Explain or Break down. 2016. Accessed July 22, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/break_down/explain.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "break down" and "explain" have occurred on timeline