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

And I thought, “Well, this was actually useful. This breaking of that wall between character and person was actually useful.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026

The suit seeks to block the foundation from allegedly misusing NRA trademarks and funds—and from breaking away from the NRA.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

In the fourth year of a struggling market, even real-estate professionals who made it this far are reaching a breaking point.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

On an industrial estate near the M40 in Banbury, engineers are attempting to build a new vehicle capable of breaking a land speed record that has stood for two decades.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

Poor Sean was off on the road, breaking up huge chunks of rock.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff