sudden breakdown
- noun
:
avería repentina
- The car experienced a sudden breakdown on the highway.
Examples
-
The train was delayed due to a sudden breakdown in the engine.
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Have you ever faced a sudden breakdown of your computer?
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A sudden breakdown of the elevator left everyone stranded between floors.
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She called for help after experiencing a sudden breakdown of her computer's hard drive.
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The old generator suffered a sudden breakdown in the middle of the storm, leaving us without power.
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After years of reliable service, the car experienced a sudden breakdown on the highway.
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The factory's production halted due to a sudden breakdown of the main conveyor belt.
Synonyms
350
4.1
A sudden failure, for example of a person or a building
95
5.8
A sudden total failure that causes serious damage to a system
7
3.5
A machine or system stopping so it cannot work
3
3.4
A machine or device that stops working when you need it
1
9.9
A sudden break or failure that makes something stop working
Antonyms
How Severe
- Specialized
396
3.3
7
3.5
96
4.5
- Specialized
3
5.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an unexpected and abrupt failure' is directly and transparently composed from 'sudden' (happening without notice) + 'breakdown' (an instance of a machine or system stopping), so a learner who knows both words can readily infer the phrase. This adjective+noun compositional pattern is common cross-linguistically and follows standard English semantics, making it immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Sudden breakdown: The noun sudden breakdown comes from the image of a machine whose parts quickly break down and stop working. So, the phrase means an 'unexpected, quick failure' of equipment.