record-breaking
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of record-breaking
First recorded in 1880–85
Explanation
A record-breaking achievement is better than any previous attempt by anyone, or at least better than any officially documented one. If you solve the Rubik's Cube faster than the fastest solver, that would be a record-breaking feat! When someone sets a record, they accomplish something that hasn't ever been topped: no one has run faster, or eaten more hot dogs, or lived longer. There are also records for things like the hottest day, fattest bear, and most powerful telescope. Eventually, nearly every record gets broken, and the event that does it is record-breaking. So if you practice every day, maybe you can one day be a record-breaking Rubik's Cube solver — but you'll probably have to do it in less than three seconds!
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.
Eli Lilly, the American drug giant, had another record-breaking quarter.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Spurs also signed defender Van Hecke despite reported interest from Chelsea, having already beaten Manchester United and Manchester City to the two record-breaking midfielders.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Meanwhile, across the pond, Europeans are battling their own record-breaking wildfires in the U.K.,
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026
The positive development in the five-month Middle East war did little to support Asian equities, with tech chipmakers SK hynix and Samsung dragging South Korea's Kospi down after Friday's record-breaking rally.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
Valentina Grizodubova, who’d piloted the Rodina on its record-breaking flight, was one of these.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
