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breaking

breaking

224 1.7
To cause something to fall into pieces or become damaged
  • noun
  • /ˈbreɪkɪŋ/
translation icon : ruptura
  • The breaking of the rules resulted in immediate penalties for the players.
  • breaking point
  • record-breaking
  • rule breaking

Bruce had had no issues with breaking that board weeks prior.

Examples

  • The breaking of the glass left sharp shards scattered across the floor.

  • The breaking of glass and lives continued after the breaking of a new day.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The breaking of so great a thing would make a greater crack.

  • If there were to be a breaking of the clan, it would be now.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • For them, establishing a culture of innovation was about challenging assumptions and breaking barriers.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Dulaney's temper is near the breaking point again; he strains to control himself.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • He heard the loud breaking of the branch as the storm intensified outside.

Synonyms

break
vsbreaking
66 1.0

A sudden crack in a hard thing such as a bone

covers slower or accidental damage as well as sudden force
breakup
vsbreaking
39 3.6

A separation into parts when something falls apart

emphasizes causing damage as well as mere separation
cracking
vsbreaking
21 3.5

The sharp noise something makes when it breaks

covers the wider process of damage, not only the first small fracture or sound
breakdown
vsbreaking
  • Specialized
19 4.1

A process in which a substance is broken into simpler parts by chemicals or living things

also includes physical force and accidental damage, not only chemical change
shattering
vsbreaking
17 4.2

Breaking something into many small pieces with sudden force

also refers to slower or nonexplosive damage, not only violent sudden fracturing
split
vsbreaking
11 1.1

A break in something, for example a tear in fabric or wood

covers separation caused by many actions, not only dividing or pulling
smashing
vsbreaking
9 3.9

Breaking something into small pieces by force

also includes gentle or slow damage, not only strong forceful impacts
disintegration
vsbreaking
6 6.2

Something breaks into smaller pieces and falls apart

includes deliberate or forceful causing as well as natural decay
fragmentation
vsbreaking
5 6.3

Breaking something into small pieces, often by force

is broader and also covers damage that keeps larger pieces or simple separation
splintering
vsbreaking
3 4.6

An act of wood breaking that sends out small sharp pieces

covers any separation or damage, including blunt or nonfragmenting forms
breakage
vsbreaking
2 4.4

Damage that makes something in pieces or not usable

focuses on causing separation or damage rather than measuring quantity
crumbling
vsbreaking
3.9

The process of breaking into small pieces and falling apart

includes sudden, forceful damage as well as slow gradual decay
sharding
vsbreaking
8.8

The breaking of something into many sharp pieces that can cut you

also covers other types of separation or damage that do not make sharp fragments

Antonyms

352 2.3

Work done to fix something that is broken

Idioms

A loss for investors that happens when a money market fund's share falls below one dollar

Compounds

The moment when a person or thing can no longer handle pressure

To illegally enter a building by force to steal things

Better than any earlier time, number or measurement

breaking story
  • Specialized
13 3.2

A news report about an event happening now or that just happened

An act of leaving a group suddenly to be on your own

breaking ball
  • Jargon
5 6.2

A pitch that curves as it moves toward the batter because the pitcher throws it with spin

5 4.7

A sudden end of an activity, relationship, or talk

4 3.7

Doing things that are illegal

1 6.9

The act of letting gas out from the bottom, often with a sound

9.9

Revealing that a performance, often in wrestling, is planned and not real

An event that marks the official start of building work

An escape from prison done by force or secret planning

How Severe

shattering
17 4.2
smashing
9 3.9
breaking
224 1.7
cracking
21 3.5

Surface Forms

breaking singular
breakings plural

Morphology

breaking = break (transparent) = break + ing

Standard nominalization of the verb 'break' with '-ing' yielding the action or process; a learner who knows 'break' will understand 'breaking'.

Etymology

The word breaking comes from the old English verb break, which meant 'to separate' or 'shatter'. Think of a twig snapping. Breaking is the act of causing something to come apart or to be damaged.