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; break, -ing ¹

Origin of breaking³

First recorded in 1980–85; by ellipsis

Example Sentences

Arirang - and its lead single, Swim - climbed the charts swiftly, breaking streaming records and dominating Billboard.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

Other records may feel less significant: The flight path will hit a maximum distance of 252,760 miles from Earth, breaking Apollo 13’s record by about 4,000 miles, which doesn’t sound like much.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026

Before departing with a delegation for Shanghai, Cheng told journalists that Taiwan "must do everything in our power to prevent war from breaking out".

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Guns N’ Roses reunited for the festival, where singer Axl Rose performed from a throne after breaking his foot at a warm-up show at the Troubadour a week before.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

I could write a hundred pirate stories without breaking a sweat.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood