"breakneck" meaning in English

See breakneck in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

Forms: more breakneck [comparative], most breakneck [superlative]
Etymology: break + neck Etymology templates: {{compound|en|break|neck}} break + neck Head templates: {{en-adj}} breakneck (comparative more breakneck, superlative most breakneck)
  1. Dangerously fast; hell-for-leather. Translations (dangerously fast; hell-for-leather): halsbrekend (Dutch), vinha (Finnish), halsbrecherisch (German), all'impazzata (Italian), a rotta di collo (Italian), a rompicollo (Italian), a toda carrera (Spanish), a tumba abierta (Spanish), como alma que lleva el diablo (Spanish), disparado (Spanish), como relámpago (Spanish), a toda leche [Spain] (Spanish), a toda ostia [Spain] (Spanish), a todo vapor (Spanish), a velocidad de vértigo (Spanish), a toda máquina (Spanish), a toda pastilla (Spanish), halsbrytande (Swedish), kafa göz yarabilen (Turkish), son derece tehlikeli (Turkish), стрімголо́в (strimholóv) (Ukrainian), з карколо́мною шви́дкістю (z karkolómnoju švýdkistju) (Ukrainian)
    Sense id: en-breakneck-en-adj-iYXcSqVX Categories (other): English terms with collocations, English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 83 5 12 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 80 4 16

Noun

Forms: breaknecks [plural]
Etymology: break + neck Etymology templates: {{compound|en|break|neck}} break + neck Head templates: {{en-noun}} breakneck (plural breaknecks)
  1. A fall that breaks the neck.
    Sense id: en-breakneck-en-noun-~m1w~VcJ
  2. A dangerous steep place from which one could fall badly.
    Sense id: en-breakneck-en-noun-0T3LB8vJ Categories (other): English exocentric verb-noun compounds Disambiguation of English exocentric verb-noun compounds: 22 25 52

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for breakneck meaning in English (5.5kB)

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  "etymology_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "break",
        "3": "neck"
      },
      "expansion": "break + neck",
      "name": "compound"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "break + neck",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more breakneck",
      "tags": [
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    },
    {
      "form": "most breakneck",
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      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "breakneck pace"
        },
        {
          "text": "He came running around the corner at a breakneck pace and couldn't stop in time to avoid hitting the fruit stand.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1961 November, H. G. Ellison, P. G. Barlow, “Journey through France: Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 668",
          "text": "The line to Dunières conists of a series of breakneck descents almost invariably ended by a violent curve and followed immediately by a panting climb, on which the engine barked thunderously but failed unhappily to maintain its booked speed of 13 m.p.h.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 June 27, Clea Skopeliti, “‘The future is bleak’: how AI concerns are shaping graduate’s career choices”, in The Guardian, →ISSN",
          "text": "The use of machine learning in this field is hardly new, but the breakneck pace at which it is improving is worrying, Lund says: “With the advent of ChatGPT, the future is bleak.”",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
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        "Dangerously fast; hell-for-leather."
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      "id": "en-breakneck-en-adj-iYXcSqVX",
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        [
          "fast",
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        [
          "hell-for-leather",
          "hell-for-leather"
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      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "halsbrekend"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "vinha"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "halsbrecherisch"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "all'impazzata"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "a rotta di collo"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "a rompicollo"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "a toda carrera"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "a tumba abierta"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "como alma que lleva el diablo"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "disparado"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "como relámpago"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "tags": [
            "Spain"
          ],
          "word": "a toda leche"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "tags": [
            "Spain"
          ],
          "word": "a toda ostia"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "a todo vapor"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "a velocidad de vértigo"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "a toda máquina"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "a toda pastilla"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "halsbrytande"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "kafa göz yarabilen"
        },
        {
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "son derece tehlikeli"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "strimholóv",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "стрімголо́в"
        },
        {
          "code": "uk",
          "lang": "Ukrainian",
          "roman": "z karkolómnoju švýdkistju",
          "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
          "word": "з карколо́мною шви́дкістю"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "breakneck"
}

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        "A fall that breaks the neck."
      ],
      "id": "en-breakneck-en-noun-~m1w~VcJ",
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          "fall",
          "fall"
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          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
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      "glosses": [
        "A dangerous steep place from which one could fall badly."
      ],
      "id": "en-breakneck-en-noun-0T3LB8vJ"
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{
  "categories": [
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    "English countable nouns",
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  "forms": [
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        "superlative"
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          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1961 November, H. G. Ellison, P. G. Barlow, “Journey through France: Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 668",
          "text": "The line to Dunières conists of a series of breakneck descents almost invariably ended by a violent curve and followed immediately by a panting climb, on which the engine barked thunderously but failed unhappily to maintain its booked speed of 13 m.p.h.",
          "type": "quotation"
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          "text": "The use of machine learning in this field is hardly new, but the breakneck pace at which it is improving is worrying, Lund says: “With the advent of ChatGPT, the future is bleak.”",
          "type": "quotation"
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      "glosses": [
        "Dangerously fast; hell-for-leather."
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          "hell-for-leather",
          "hell-for-leather"
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "halsbrekend"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "vinha"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "halsbrecherisch"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "all'impazzata"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "a rotta di collo"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "a rompicollo"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "a toda carrera"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "a tumba abierta"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "como alma que lleva el diablo"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "disparado"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "como relámpago"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "tags": [
        "Spain"
      ],
      "word": "a toda leche"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "tags": [
        "Spain"
      ],
      "word": "a toda ostia"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "a todo vapor"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "a velocidad de vértigo"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "a toda máquina"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "a toda pastilla"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "halsbrytande"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "kafa göz yarabilen"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "son derece tehlikeli"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "strimholóv",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "стрімголо́в"
    },
    {
      "code": "uk",
      "lang": "Ukrainian",
      "roman": "z karkolómnoju švýdkistju",
      "sense": "dangerously fast; hell-for-leather",
      "word": "з карколо́мною шви́дкістю"
    }
  ],
  "word": "breakneck"
}

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    "English lemmas",
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  "etymology_text": "break + neck",
  "forms": [
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  "senses": [
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      "glosses": [
        "A fall that breaks the neck."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "fall",
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      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A dangerous steep place from which one could fall badly."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "breakneck"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (93a6c53 and 21a9316). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.