suffer vs break down

suffer and break down both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
suffer	No	No	Yes	No
break down	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, break down is a hyponym of suffer; that is, break down is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than suffer:

Other hyponyms of suffer include collapse, cramp, break up, collapse, crack, crack up, crock up, stress.

suffer (verb)	break down (verb)
be in pain	collapse due to fatigue, an illness, or a sudden attack
undergo (as of injuries and illnesses)	stop operating or functioning
feel unwell or uncomfortable	separate (substances) into constituent elements or parts
get worse in quality	make a mathematical, chemical, or grammatical analysis of; break down into components or essential features
be set at a disadvantage	make ineffective
put up with something or somebody unpleasant	cause to fall or collapse
experience (emotional) pain	lose control of one's emotions
feel physical pain	fall apart
undergo or be subjected to
undergo or suffer
be given to