Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
break dancing or break·danc·ing EXAMPLES|WORD ORIGIN noun a style of acrobatic dancing originating in the mid-1970s, often performed to rap music usually by teenage males in the streets, and characterized by intricate footwork, pantomime, spinning headstands, tumbling, and elaborate improvised virtuosic movements. Liberaldictionary.com
Origin of break dancing the sense of break is unclear; cf. breakdown Also called break, breaking. Related formsbreak dancer, noun Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019 Examples from the Web for breakdancing Contemporary Examples of breakdancing
Host and guest pop and lock on cardboard—the only proper surface for breakdancing—and in no way did they have dancing doubles.
Breakdancing Brad Pitt, Chainsaw Massacre Prank, and More Viral Videos
The Daily Beast Video
October 19, 2014
This divinely inspired video of a teenage Vin Diesel breakdancing is one such gift.
Vin Diesel’s 6 Greatest YouTube Masterpieces
Amy Zimmerman
January 29, 2014
Word Origin and History for breakdancing break dancing n.
1982, but the style itself evolved late 1970s in South Bronx. The reference is to the rhythmic break in a pop-dance song (see break (n.)), which the DJs isolated and the dancers performed to. Breakdown “a riotous dance, in the style of the negroes” is recorded from 1864.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
