breakneck

adjective

ˈbrāk-ˈnek How to pronounce breakneck (audio)
Definition of breaknecknext
as in rapid
moving, proceeding, or acting with great speed the breakneck production of naval vessels during World War II

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of breakneck At five half-hour episodes, Cunk on Earth is a consistently droll, frequently delightful series that mixes high and low comedy at a breakneck pace. — Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 2023 However, their days of breakneck growth and extraordinary profitability are over, now a part of history along with China’s whole go-go consumer tech era. — Zennon Kapron, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2022 Transferring in from Tennessee, the program currently defining the tempo genre, Jackson is well-acquainted with playing football at a breakneck pace. — Zach Osterman, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Jan. 2023 The economy added a staggering 517,000 jobs in January, more than double the employment growth a month prior and well above the breakneck pace of some 400,000 monthly jobs added on average last year, according to government data released on Friday. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2023 See All Example Sentences for breakneck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breakneck
  1. rapid
  2. brisk
  3. galloping
  4. fast
  5. quick
Adjective
  • Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches.
    — CA Earthquake Bot, Sacbee.com, 30 June 2026
  • At the heart of the clash is how to manage wild horse populations that can reproduce at a rapid clip.
    — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of rapid
Adjective
  • Studies show that orgasms also relieve menstrual pain, lower blood pressure, enhance circulation, correlate with better cardiac functioning, and burn calories equivalent to thirty minutes of brisk walking.
    — Melanie Thernstrom, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • The glacier carts and kiosks that dish out ice cream, soft serve and sorbets did brisk business all week.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 27 June 2026
Definition of brisk
Adjective
  • As his health faded in the last year of his life, Neruda rushed to finish his story, which gives the last chapters of his book a galloping, fragmented quality.
    — Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 25 June 2021
  • Designed by renowned architect Dominique Perrault, its four stories tilting forward are said to evoke a galloping horse.
    — Rob Hodgetts at Longchamp, CNN, 15 Oct. 2019
Definition of galloping
Adjective
  • The iconic fast food company has grown beyond its California roots in recent years, opening locations in Colorado, Texas, Idaho, and as far east as Tennessee.
    — James Powel, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • From climate change to drug discovery, quantum computing is expected to be solve problems at a pace where even the fastest supercomputers appear to be slow-moving snails.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 6 July 2026
Definition of fast
Adjective
  • Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley There may still be questions about whether the romance between Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley was genuine, and their secret, quick-turn overseas wedding didn't help matters.
    — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • But upon closer inspection Mbiya appears significantly leaner and quicker.
    — Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
Definition of quick

Browse Nearby Words

break-ins
breakneck
break off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Breakneck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breakneck. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All