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definitions

backbreaking

or back-break·ing

[ bak-brey-king ]
/ ˈbækˌbreɪ kɪŋ /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR backbreaking ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

demanding great effort, endurance, etc.; exhausting: a backbreaking job.

RELATED WORDS

onerous, stringent, tough, taxing, hard, pressing, troublesome, exhausting, strict, critical, ambitious, exacting, trying, difficult, crucial, problematic, arduous, demanding, severe, strenuous

Nearby words

backblocks, backboard, backboard splint, backbone, backbreaker, backbreaker, backburn, backcast, backchat, backcloth, backcomb

Origin of backbreaking

First recorded in 1780–90; back1 + break + -ing2
Related formsback·break·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for backbreaker

  • Although he is not on trial for the video, it was the backbreaker in the court of public opinion.

    John Galliano in the Courtroom|Tracy McNicoll|June 23, 2011|DAILY BEAST

  • I jerked and rolled in a movement calculated to throw him to the ground face down, the motion ending in a backbreaker hold.

    The Old Martians|Roger Phillips Graham

British Dictionary definitions for backbreaker (1 of 2)

backbreaker

/ (ˈbækˌbreɪkə) /

noun

a wrestling hold in which a wrestler uses his knee or shoulder as a fulcrum to bend his opponent's body backwards
informal an extremely arduous task

British Dictionary definitions for backbreaker (2 of 2)

backbreaking

/ (ˈbækˌbreɪkɪŋ) /

adjective

demanding great effort; exhausting
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012