What does "breaking" mean?

1. (fracturing or snapping) the act of something snapping, cracking, or coming apart into pieces. 2. (street dance) a style of energetic street dance that includes floor moves and spinning. 3. (vowel change) when a single vowel sound changes into two sounds in a word. 4. (musical ornamentation) playing several short notes instead of one long note.

breaking

US //ˈbɹeɪkɪŋ// UK //bɹˈeɪkɪŋ// break·ing

1 fracturing or snapping (n.)
B1 Intermediate

the act of something snapping, cracking, or coming apart into pieces.

the physical act of fracturing or the state of being broken into parts.

Example

The breaking of the window glass made a loud noise in the quiet street.

Example

The sudden breaking of the structural supports caused the entire roof to collapse before the workers could evacuate the site.
- mending
- fixing
2 street dance (n.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

a style of energetic street dance that includes floor moves and spinning.

a style of acrobatic hip-hop dance, often performed to breakbeats, involving intricate footwork and floor-based power moves.

Example

He started breaking in the park with his friends every Saturday afternoon.

Example

The inclusion of breaking in international sporting competitions has sparked debate about whether it should be judged as an art form or an athletic discipline.
- breakdancing
- b boying

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3 vowel change (n.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Linguistics

when a single vowel sound changes into two sounds in a word.

the sound change where a monophthong develops into a diphthong under the influence of a following consonant or vowel.

Example

The teacher explained how breaking changed certain words in Old English.

Example

Linguists study breaking to understand how the vowel systems of Germanic languages evolved over several centuries.
- diphthongization
- monophthongization
4 musical ornamentation (n.)
C2 Proficiency Technical Music

playing several short notes instead of one long note.

a method of ornamentation where a long note is divided into a sequence of shorter, faster notes.

Example

The flute player used breaking to make the simple melody sound more complex.

Example

In Baroque performance practice, breaking allowed soloists to demonstrate their technical virtuosity by elaborating on the written score.
- division
- diminution