How to Use break down into in a Sentence

break down into

idiom
Definition of break down intonext
  • Soil gets its pH mainly from the rocks that, over time, break down into the particles that are the base of the soil.
    — Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2022
  • Pulse to break down into a course crumb, then stream in the olive oil until just combined.
    — Joanne Rosa, ABC News, 11 Feb. 2022
  • Kids can learn how their food waste can break down into rich compost.
    — Stacy Tornio, Treehugger, 18 Apr. 2023
  • The thickened sauce will break down into a more watery broth, and the meat will tenderize.
    — Chuck Blount, ExpressNews.com, 31 Aug. 2020
  • His project was to help find a way to put together a printer that could break down into only a few parts.
    — Terry Pluto, cleveland, 9 Mar. 2022
  • Mid-Layers Mid-layers break down into fleece and puffies.
    — Matt Jancer, Wired, 11 Apr. 2021
  • The skin at the corners of your mouth can break down into ulcers when left for too long— hence the confusion between AC and cold sores.
    — Isadora Baum, Men's Health, 16 Feb. 2023
  • The sauce will break down into a deep and uniform vermilion color.
    — Danny Chau, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2022
  • Shellhammer says that the terpenes in hops, which are similar to the terpenes in cannabis, never add up to or break down into a skunky smell.
    — Madeline Bodin, Discover Magazine, 29 Jan. 2021
  • During the first few seasons, the politics of the Solar System break down into three core factions.
    — Kate Cox, Ars Technica, 11 Dec. 2020
  • The findings break down into three categories of attacks.
    — Lily Hay Newman, Wired, 9 Aug. 2020
  • Plastics break down into microplastics that make their way into the air and ocean, harming marine life.
    — Danielle Wiener-Bronner, CNN, 19 May 2022
  • This is because as bananas ripen, their starches break down into sugar.
    — Hollyanna McCollom, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Apr. 2023
  • The hazards from Ida’s remnants break down into three categories: Heavy rain, strong wind gusts and tornadoes.
    — Washington Post, 30 Aug. 2021
  • Excess can go in the compost pile to break down into nature’s finest fertilizer.
    — Howard Garrett, Dallas News, 1 Mar. 2021
  • Matter can be broken down into atoms, which break down into nuclei and electrons.
    — Ethan Siegel, Forbes, 7 May 2021
  • The better, more flavorful soy sauces are fermented longer, which allows the proteins in the soy (and wheat) to break down into the amino acids that lend the condiment its glutamate-rich content.
    — Washington Post, 12 July 2021
  • Quick-cooking pulses like split yellow peas, red lentils, and split mung beans break down into fall-apart starchiness in 15–20 minutes, lending body and creaminess to brothy soups in a pinch.
    — Antara Sinha, Bon Appétit, 2 Dec. 2022
  • Dreams have convoluted stories that are hard to break down into sequences of images or concepts.
    — Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 26 Feb. 2012
  • For unknown reasons, the quarks break down into three generations: heavy, medium and light, each with quarks of opposite electric charge.
    — Quanta Magazine, 26 May 2020
  • Over time, that plastic will break down into tiny particles, known as microplastics, which contaminates the air, water, soil and food.
    — Jake Frederico, The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2023
  • In the ocean, as the tens of millions of tons of plastic already floating at sea break down into microscopic pieces, some of those minute particles take flight into the atmosphere via sea spray and get carried around the world by wind.
    — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Apr. 2021
  • The available style choices generally break down into either Power Ranger or gold-prospector work boots.
    — Alexander George, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2021
  • The chemicals have been linked to several health problems and often do not break down into the environment easily.
    — From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2021
  • That makes the Philippines’ approval of the crop a huge milestone, especially amidst false rumors that its beta-carotene would break down into cancer-causing chemicals, Le Page reports.
    — Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Jan. 2020
  • The disaster recovery tips break down into four sections: How to recover, react, restore and respond.
    — Emily Deletter, The Enquirer, 7 July 2022
  • When burned, vinyl chloride can break down into hydrogen chloride, phosgene, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide vapors, according to the EPA.
    — Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Feb. 2023
  • The concern about environmental microplastics, which include the tiny and enduring fragments that plastic products from baggies to polyester clothing break down into, has been growing over the past decade.
    — Steve Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 6 May 2021
  • Something like a single-use water bottle will break down into smaller and smaller fragments—what are known as microplastics—but likely won’t fully decompose for around 450 years, if ever.
    — Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 5 Oct. 2022
  • Instead, the fibers break down into microplastics, which are frequently ingested by all types of creatures -- including the primate species that currently dominates the planet.
    — cleveland, 29 May 2021

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'break down into.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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