breaking

[ brey-king ]

/ ˈbreɪ kɪŋ /

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See synonyms for breaking on Thesaurus.com

adjective

(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.

coming into being suddenly: When I awoke, it was breaking day over the eastern horizon.

changing or collapsing suddenly:This is a photograph of a breaking wave in the subantarctic waters of the Southern Ocean.

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of breaking

First recorded in 1930–35; break (in the sense “to release a news story for publication”) + -ing²

Words nearby breaking

breakfast food, break feeding, breakfront, break ground, break-in, breaking, breaking and entering, breaking ball, breaking point, break-in period, break into

Other definitions for breaking (2 of 3)

breaking²

[ brey-king ]

/ ˈbreɪ kɪŋ /

noun

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.

Also called vow·el frac·ture

[vou-uhl frak-cher]. /ˈvaʊ əl ˌfræk tʃər/.

Origin of breaking

First recorded in 1870–75; translation of German Brechung; see break, -ing¹

Other definitions for breaking (3 of 3)

breaking³

[ brey-king ]

/ ˈbreɪ kɪŋ /

noun

break dancing.

Origin of breaking

First recorded in 1980–85; by ellipsis

How to use breaking in a sentence

She paid a visit to a dance studio in Washington that specialized in breaking — better known as break dancing to anyone who remembers the 1980s or simply breakin’ to many participants — and it didn’t take long before mother and son were hooked.
How break dancing made the leap from ’80s pop culture to the Olympic stage|Rick Maese|February 9, 2021|Washington Post
Within the breaking community, there have always been factions focused on the art and the performance, and others who thrive on battles and competition.
How break dancing made the leap from ’80s pop culture to the Olympic stage|Rick Maese|February 9, 2021|Washington Post
As the children skipped over the breaking waves with their grandparents, things almost felt normal again, Shannon said.
900,000 infected. Nearly 15,000 dead. How the coronavirus tore through D.C., Maryland and Virginia.|Rebecca Tan, Antonio Olivo, John D. Harden|February 5, 2021|Washington Post
The team was originally formed to produce breaking news for Snapchat’s Discover platform for publishers.
How The Washington Post’s new Instagram editor will try to boost its subscription business|Sara Guaglione|February 2, 2021|Digiday

Rather than being seen as a threat to research careers, leading organizations in pharma and chemicals are demonstrating that digital provides new opportunities for collaboration and the breaking down of silos.
Digital innovation in the pharmaceuticals and chemicals industries|Jason Sparapani|January 26, 2021|MIT Technology Review
“We saw his background and he was a Bronx guy and we started breaking the case,” Boyce says.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Breaking the will of ISIS, the military argues, is not a statistic.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Against this backdrop, Paul breaking bread with Sharpton may be too much for Republican primary voters to watch or stomach.
GOP Won’t Forgive Rand for Cop Critique|Lloyd Green|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He said, “I am breaking my heart over this story, and cannot bear to finish it.”
How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas|Clive Irving|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was so potent, given all the ways the world is breaking many people, his people, down.
Kendrick Lamar Shuts Down ‘The Colbert Report’ with Untitled Track|Charlise Ferguson|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Strive to speak or sing fluently without breaking the quality of tone used.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
Say that my anger has no bounds—that my heart is breaking—will break and kill me, if he persists in his ingratitude and cruelty.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
The gigantic pylon, its shoulders breaking the sky four-square far overhead, seemed the prodigious portal of another world.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
He swam with her upon the summit of the breaking Wave, lifted upon its crest, swept onward irresistibly.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
The red flashes were breaking out like a bunch of firecrackers, and with pretty much the same sound.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for breaking

breaking

/ (ˈbreɪkɪŋ) /

noun

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

Word Origin for breaking

C19: translation of German Brechung

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

breaking

Origin of breaking

Words nearby breaking

Other definitions for breaking (2 of 3)

Origin of breaking

Other definitions for breaking (3 of 3)

Origin of breaking

Words related to breaking

How to use breaking in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for breaking

Word Origin for breaking