Decrease and Breakdown

noun

• A change downward.
  • usage: "there was a decrease in his temperature as the fever subsided"; "there was a sharp drop-off in sales"
  • synonyms: lessening, drop-off
• A process of becoming smaller or shorter.
  • synonyms: decrement
• The amount by which something decreases.
  • synonyms: decrement
• The act of decreasing or reducing something.
  • synonyms: diminution, reduction, step-down

verb

• Decrease in size, extent, or range.
  • usage: "The amount of homework decreased towards the end of the semester"; "The cabin pressure fell dramatically"; "her weight fell to under a hundred pounds"; "his voice fell to a whisper"
  • synonyms: diminish, lessen, fall
• Make smaller.
  • usage: "He decreased his staff"
  • synonyms: lessen, minify

• (v.t.) To cause to grow less; to diminish gradually; as, extravagance decreases one's means.
• (v.) A becoming less; gradual diminution; decay; as, a decrease of revenue or of strength.
• (n.) To grow less, -- opposed to increase; to be diminished gradually, in size, degree, number, duration, etc. or in strength, quality or excellence; as, they days decrease in length from June to December.
• (v.) The wane of the moon.

noun

• The act of disrupting an established order so it fails to continue.
  • usage: "the social dislocations resulting from government policies"; "his warning came after the breakdown of talks in London"
  • synonyms: dislocation
• A mental or physical breakdown.
  • synonyms: crack-up
• A cessation of normal operation.
  • usage: "there was a power breakdown"
  • synonyms: equipment failure
• An analysis into mutually exclusive categories.
  • synonyms: partitioning

• (n.) The act or result of breaking down, as of a carriage; downfall.
• (n.) A noisy, rapid, shuffling dance engaged in competitively by a number of persons or pairs in succession, as among the colored people of the Southern United States, and so called, perhaps, because the exercise is continued until most of those who take part in it break down.
• (n.) Any rude, noisy dance performed by shuffling the feet, usually by one person at a time.