Despite the economic downturn, the startup is expected to break even by next year.

break 在这里是动词，意思是"打破、突破"。 even 在这里是形容词，意思是"平衡的、相等的"。 break even 是一个固定短语，指"收支平衡"，即收入与支出相等，不亏不盈的状态。