breakdancer

noun

break·​danc·​er ˈbrāk-ˌdan(t)-sər 

variants or break dancer or less commonly break-dancer

plural breakdancers or break dancers also break-dancers

: someone who breakdances

… a new hip-hop dance work by the breakdancer and choreographer Anne Nguyen that involves 20 New York City street dancers in the Bronx and Times Square.

—Joshua Barone

… "Wild Style," a 1983 film that was hailed as the first hip-hop movie and featured real-life graffiti writers, rappers and break dancers in and around the Bronx.

—Julianne McShane

… [Emmanuel Macron] watched a performance of break-dancers who hope to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

—Jeffrey Schaeffer

Acrobatic dancers known as b-boys, b-girls, and breakers (the media eventually labeled them as breakdancers, a term still in wide circulation today) flocked to DJ Kool Herc's parties …

—Jonathan Abrams

called also breaker

Examples of breakdancer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In more recent news, TikToker Madi Hart went viral for telling the story about the time her father allegedly left their family to become a breakdancer. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2024

So Far Montalvo hopes that his success will inspire other young breakdancers to give their all to the sport. —Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024

In this interview, conducted in his office at Hendrick Motorsports, Gordon talked about his favorite character from that SNL appearance, as well as teaching his daughter how to drive, his secret talent as a breakdancer (yes, seriously) and his rivalry with Dale Earnhardt Sr. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 13 Feb. 2024

During their rise, the kids started learning other talents, with Joaquin becoming a skilled breakdancer and River learning to tap dance. —Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 24 Oct. 2023

There’s a large mannequin in a pink Adidas outfit that imitates a breakdancer on top of a table. —Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 6 Oct. 2023

Wild Style was shot on location in and around the Bronx, starring real-life graffiti writers, breakdancers, and rappers, many of them playing either variations of themselves or, simply, themselves. —Vulture, 15 Sep. 2023

Fat Joe brought out legendary breakdancer Crazy Legs, Ashanti, and Remy Ma (twice). —Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 12 Aug. 2023

During their off-time in Arizona, most of the Maker Empire dancers were busy watching competitors and in awe of the breakdancers. —Jevon Phillips, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above