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

She was previously a breaking corporate news reporter in New York, and got her start at the Journal as an intern in the Detroit bureau covering the auto industry.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

I think you’re seeing these characters at the breaking point.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

He has already hung portraits of himself inside the White House, breaking with the tradition that a president wait until the end of his term to be invited by a successor to unveil a portrait.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

At its core, the report found that breaking into a crypto wallet through quantum computing may take fewer resources than previously expected.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

I know I’m not breaking any records, but I know my form’s good.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam