SportsAugust 13, 2026

breakdancing

BRAKE-dan-sing

Definition

A style of athletic street dance characterized by intricate footwork and acrobatic floor moves, which originated in the United States and was featured as a competitive sport at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Etymology

The term originated in the 1970s, combining 'break'—referring to the 'breakbeat' section of a song where dancers would showcase moves—and 'dancing'.

In the news

The article uses the term to describe the controversial competitive event that became a global media sensation, prompting a Netflix sports documentary.

Australia's Olympics breakdancing fiasco is getting the Netflix sports-doc treatment

Read the full article ↗

Time Out Worldwide

Related words

domestique

A cycling team member who sacrifices their own potential for victory to support the team…

Sports

elusiveness

The quality of being difficult to grasp, define, catch, or achieve.

Sports

lobbed

To throw, hit, or launch something in a high, arc-like trajectory.

Sports

netminder

A goalkeeper or goalie in the sport of ice hockey.

Sports

patellar

Relating to the patella, or kneecap, which is the small, movable bone at the front of the…

Sports

scorestream

A digital service or widget that provides real-time updates, statistics, and scores for…

Sports

Learn a word like this every day

Meet one new word every morning.

Newspoken pulls one carefully chosen word from the day’s news — with a clear definition, context, and light review that makes it stick. Get it on your phone.