Showing results for "breaking"

• present participle of break.

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

See Examples For:

breaking

Commissioners are officials sent by the UK government to help run councils deemed to be failing or breaking the law, most often when a council is declared bankrupt.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Another factor helping to push bitcoin higher was the price breaking through its 200-day moving average around $69,000.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that some data centers experienced cranks breaking off on combustion engines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Other changes in body placement support the idea that burial traditions continued to evolve rather than simply breaking down.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 19, 2026

“I am going to request that a message be delivered to Queen Victoria,” she explained, without breaking her stride.

From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood