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

The car also had difficulty breaking into international markets, including in the European Union and Australia.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

"Our country is more successful right now than at any time in its history," he said, before breaking off in mid-sentence and pointing to the ceiling.

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

Slang terms breaking out of the community that coins them isn't unprecedented.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

Maha Kamal, a Denver family lawyer, joined a custody case on behalf of a mother after the children’s father began peppering the court with filings that accused her of breaking the judge’s orders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

She was as superstitious as a black cat breaking a mirror in a graveyard.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

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