What does breakdance mean?
Breakdance is an energetic style of street dance that emerged from hip-hop culture among African American and Latino youth in New York City during the early 1970s. Characterized by acrobatic spins, rapid footwork, frozen poses known as freezes, and improvisation, it is traditionally performed to hip-hop music, particularly during extended rhythmic passages called breaks. The word functions both as a noun, naming the dance style itself, and as a verb meaning to perform it. Within the hip-hop community, practitioners often favor the terms breaking, b-boying, or b-girling, viewing breakdance as a more commercial label. Once considered a passing craze, breakdance gained lasting cultural legitimacy and was included as an official Olympic discipline at the 2024 Paris Games. It remains a global art form associated with creativity, athleticism, and urban youth culture.
A style of athletic street dance featuring acrobatic spins, footwork, and freezes, developed within hip-hop culture.
"His breakdance won first place at the block party."
Often spelled as two words ("break dancing") in older usage.
To perform breakdance.
"The teenagers gathered to breakdance on the cardboard they had laid out."
Intransitive; commonly used without an object.
Rarely used in the plural; the uncountable form is standard when referring to the style generally.
"The showcase featured several impressive breakdances."
Breakdance became an Olympic sport at the 2024 Paris Games — nearly fifty years after it was born in the Bronx.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of breakdance
Breakdance arose in the early 1970s in the Bronx, New York, combining the noun break — referring to the percussive instrumental section of a song that DJs such as Kool Herc isolated and extended — with dance. Dancers who performed during these breaks were originally called b-boys and b-girls, giving rise to alternative names like b-boying and breaking. The compound reflects its origin as a descriptive phrase rather than a borrowing from another language.
Related word forms
How breakdance is actually used
Informal to neutral register. Practitioners often prefer the terms "breaking," "b-boying," or "b-girling" over "breakdance." The two-word form "break dancing" is also widely accepted. Capitalized as "Breaking" when referring to the Olympic discipline.
Easily confused with breakdance
"Break dancing" is the older two-word spelling of the same term; "breakdance" as one word is the more modern, standard form.