idiom · neutral
break down in tears
UK/breɪk daʊn ɪn tɪəz/US/breɪk daʊn ɪn tɪrz/break·DOWN·in·TEARS
to suddenly start crying very strongly
Examples
“She broke down in tears when she heard the tragic news.”
“After months of pressure, he finally broke down in tears at the meeting.”
“Parents broke down in tears of relief when the lost child was found.”
Band 8 sentence
“When she received the final rejection, she sat alone and broke down in tears, exhausted by months of effort.”
Collocations
- break down in tears + when/after/as
- completely/utterly break down in tears
Word family
Common mistakes
She break down in tears when she heard it.→She broke down in tears when she heard it.
She broke down in a tears.→She broke down in tears.
Say it for a higher band
5cry→6start crying→7+break down in tears
Synonyms
burst into tears
cry one's eyes out
Easily confused
burst into tears
“She burst into tears at the funeral.”
Related words
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In Emotions
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