Showing results for "breaking"

• present participle of break.

breaking

¹ American  

[brey-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  

[brey-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  

[brey-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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

breaking

The Guthrie family’s anguished video led the NBC Nightly News, breaking up the Winter Olympics coverage from Milan.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

However, repeated cycles of breaking and repair can introduce errors, allowing mutations to accumulate in these highly active regions.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026

Soccer, and Kevin Lamour, FIFA’s chief operating officer, publicly breaking with their boss.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026

Unfortunately, AI models can do lots of things that once seemed impossible—like busting out of their sandboxes and breaking into companies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

“We have breaking news on Hurricane Reuben,” Maria Martinez said in an urgent tone, and Natalie, Mama, and Tía Beatriz looked back at the TV.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz