ˈbɹeɪkdaʊn diːˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən dɪsləʊˈkeɪʃən ˌpjuːtɹəˈfækʃən ɹɒt ɹɔt the act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue the social dislocations resulting from government policies his warning came after the breakdown of talks in London an analysis into mutually exclusive categories a cessation of normal operation there was a power breakdown (biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action (chemistry) separation of a substance into two or more substances that may differ from each other and from the original substance a mental or physical breakdown