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breakneck

American  
[breyk-nek] / ˈbreɪkˌnɛk /

adjective

  1. reckless or dangerous, especially because of excessive speed; hazardous.

    He raced through the streets at breakneck speed.
breakneck British  
/ ˈbreɪkˌnɛk /

adjective

  1. (prenominal) (of speed, pace, etc) excessive and dangerous

"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

Etymology

Origin of breakneck

First recorded in 1555–65; break + neck

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Despite the widely publicized race for the exits among holders of so-called semiliquid funds, private credit is still expanding, albeit not at last year’s breakneck pace.

From Barron's • Mar. 27, 2026

During the pandemic, they expanded at a breakneck speed to keep up with demand.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Detention centers are being built at breakneck speed.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

And if they had, it was quickly overshadowed by something else in our breakneck news cycle, like FBI director Kash Patel chugging beer with the gold medal–winning men’s hockey team.

From Slate • Feb. 25, 2026

Through technological advances in communication our planet is in the final stages of being bound up at a breakneck pace into a single global society.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.