breakthrough

noun, often attributive break·through \ ˈbrāk-ˌthrü \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of breakthrough

1 warfare : an offensive military assault that penetrates and carries beyond a defensive line

2 : an act or instance of moving through or beyond an obstacle

a breakthrough in the talks between the region's leaders

a breakthrough agreement

3 a : a sudden advance especially in knowledge or technique

a medical breakthrough

b : a person's first notable success

a breakthrough novel

the actress's breakthrough performance

See breakthrough defined for English-language learners

See breakthrough defined for kids

Examples of breakthrough in a Sentence

Researchers say they have made a major breakthrough in cancer treatment.
The police have announced a breakthrough in the murder case.
This job could be the breakthrough she's been waiting for.

Recent Examples of breakthrough from the Web

However, Napoli were far from finished and kept on pushing numbers forward, intent on getting back into the game, and in the 89th minute Napoli finally found the breakthrough.

— SI.com, "Napoli 2-1 Chievo: Gli Azzurri Keep Serie A Title Race Alive With Dramatic Win Over Gialloblu," 8 Apr. 2018
That has fueled optimism that combination therapy is the next great medical breakthrough—and the next great growth story for Wall Street.

— charley grant, WSJ, "Biotech Gets a Reality Check," 6 Apr. 2018
In response, Mack’s engineers developed the breakthrough magnetic control system to temper the rotation speed.

— arthur levine, USA TODAY, "Silver Dollar City's Time Traveler coaster review," 1 Apr. 2018
Safety systems such as Hyundai’s Safe Exit Assist and Rear Occupant Alert are just two of the new breakthroughs on display at the New York show.

— NBC News, "As the debate over self-driving heats up, automakers load up on driver safety," 31 Mar. 2018
But there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical that the U.S.-North Korean summit slated for May will produce the breakthrough that Washington wants.

— matthew pennington, Fox News, "Kim family has made denuclearization vows in China before," 29 Mar. 2018
But there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical that the U.S.-North Korean summit slated for May will produce the breakthrough that Washington wants.

— Washington Post, "Kim family has made denuclearization vows in China before," 29 Mar. 2018
On March 26, 1979, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat signed a peace treaty, six months after the breakthrough Camp David summit chaired by President Carter.

— sandiegouniontribune.com, "Sadat, Begin sign peace treaty," 26 Mar. 2018
But a late Labour surge meant the breakthrough never came.

— The Economist, "The rise of the Teesside Tories," 22 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'breakthrough.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of breakthrough

1915

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

breakthrough Synonyms

break through

verb

Definition of break through

intransitive verb

: to make a breakthrough

First Known Use of break through

1946

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

BREAKTHROUGH Defined for English Language Learners

breakthrough

noun

Definition of breakthrough for English Language Learners

: a sudden increase in knowledge, understanding, etc. : an important discovery that happens after trying for a long time to understand or explain something
: a person's first important success