breaking

¹ 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 ² American  

[brey-king] / ˈbreɪ kɪŋ /

noun

1. break dancing.

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breaking ³ 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 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 1870–75; translation of German Brechung; break, -ing ¹

Origin of breaking¹

First recorded in 1980–85; by ellipsis

Origin of breaking¹

First recorded in 1930–35; break ( def. ) (in the sense “to release a news story for publication”) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Casemiro's role is more positionally strict - screening the defence, breaking up play and getting up and down the pitch to close the distance between defence and attack when the ball is played long.

From BBC

Scientists must analyze their emitted light by breaking it into a spectrum, which reveals how energy is distributed around the black hole.

From Science Daily

A native of Maryland, Ransone studied theater at the Carver Center for Arts and Technology in the Baltimore County community of Towson, before breaking into television a few years later.

From Los Angeles Times

One got his feet wet breaking into candy distribution.

From The Wall Street Journal

Heavy rare earths are formed over millions of years, as rainfall weathers igneous rocks, breaking them down and leaving elements concentrated near the surface.

From Barron's