Showing results for "breaking"

• present participle of break.

breaking

¹ American  

[bray-king] / ˈbreɪ kɪŋ /

adjective

1. (of a news story) currently developing or having happened recently and being released for publication or airing, as on television or radio, in print, or on the internet.

   Our network aims to be your trusted source for breaking news, local weather, and sports.

2. coming into being suddenly.

   When I awoke, it was breaking day over the eastern horizon.

3. changing or collapsing suddenly.

   This is a photograph of a breaking wave in the subantarctic waters of the Southern Ocean.

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breaking ² American  

[bray-king] / ˈbreɪ kɪŋ /

noun

1. Phonology. the change of a pure vowel to a diphthong, especially in certain environments, as, in Old English, the change of a vowel to a diphthong under the influence of a following consonant or combination of consonants, as the change of -a- to -ea- and of -e- to -eo- before preconsonantal r or l and before h, as in earm “arm” developed from arm, and eorthe “earth” from erthe.

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breaking ³ American  

[bray-king] / ˈbreɪ kɪŋ /

noun

1. break dancing.

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breaking British  

/ ˈbreɪkɪŋ /

noun

1. linguistics (in Old English, Old Norse, etc) the change of a vowel into a diphthong

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Etymology

Origin of breaking¹

First recorded in 1930–35; break ( def. ) (in the sense “to release a news story for publication”) + -ing ² ( def. )

Origin of breaking²

First recorded in 1870–75; translation of German Brechung; see break, -ing ¹

Origin of breaking³

First recorded in 1980–85; by ellipsis

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

breaking

But the book is the first time they’re breaking down the nitty-gritty details of rebuilding their marriage after it nearly fell apart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

Before that, the ratio topped out near 3.4 in both 2024 and 2025 before finally breaking above that level.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 18, 2026

Manchester City face "substantial hurdles" if they are to have any chance of winning their appeal after being found guilty of breaking the Premier League's financial rules, a leading lawyer has told BBC Sport.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

It was strongly enriched specifically in forest soil containing LCAP, suggesting that it could play an important role in breaking down the biodegradable polyester.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

“Really, thank you,” I try again, my voice breaking.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

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