Search and compare thousands of words and phrases in British Sign Language (BSL). The largest collection online.
How to sign: break down, literally or metaphorically
"The wall collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The dam broke"; "The roof collapsed"; "The wall gave in"; "The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice";
Similiar / Same: collapse, fall in, cave in, give way, founder, give
Categories: change
Within this category: break, buckle, flop, implode, slump
How to sign: become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
"The glass cracked when it was heated";
Categories: change
Within this category: crack
How to sign: the act of breaking something
"the breakage was unavoidable";
Similiar / Same: breaking, breakage
Categories: change of integrity
Within this category: chip, fracture, rupture, smashing
How to sign: assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
"She was demoted because she always speaks up"; "He was broken down to Sargeant";
See also: murder, slay, bump off, polish off, dispatch, remove, hit
Similiar / Same: demote, kick downstairs, relegate, bump
Categories: assign, delegate, depute, designate
Within this category: reduce
How to sign: reduce to bankruptcy
"My daughter's fancy wedding is going to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets smashed him";
Similiar / Same: bankrupt, ruin, smash
Categories: impoverish
How to sign: do a break dance
"Kids were break-dancing at the street corner";
Similiar / Same: break dance, break-dance
Categories: dance, trip the light fantastic, trip the light fantastic toe
