as in improvement
an instance of notable progress in the development of knowledge, technology, or skill
Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin was one of medicine's great breakthroughs, for penicillin became the first antibiotic to successfully combat bacterial infections in humans
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Recent Examples of breakthrough
The breakthrough reduces debinding time to less than 30 minutes.
—
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025
Making a first-team breakthrough was always likely to be challenging, however, given Simon Mignolet’s No 1 status.
—Mark Critchley, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Turkish officials recently unveiled a gleaming gold brooch and a rare jade stone in Troy – a remarkable breakthrough that sheds light on the city's pre-Greek past.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Spoilers are sure to appear every time a breakthrough seems near.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakthrough
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025
Making a first-team breakthrough was always likely to be challenging, however, given Simon Mignolet’s No 1 status.
—Mark Critchley, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
Turkish officials recently unveiled a gleaming gold brooch and a rare jade stone in Troy – a remarkable breakthrough that sheds light on the city's pre-Greek past.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
Spoilers are sure to appear every time a breakthrough seems near.
—Bloomberg Opinion, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for breakthrough
Recent Examples of Synonyms for breakthrough
Noun
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Anything that is imperfect has room for improvement.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
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Bonds ask for a specific dollar amount and can be used for capital expenditures such as new schools and facility buildings, technology infrastructure, safety improvements, school buses and equipment.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Despite the advances in AI, Duan concedes that early domestic CAE software lagged behind foreign competitors in several areas.—
Ni Tao,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Oct. 2025
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Every incremental advance in writing technology will accelerate progress across the entire spectrum of life science, from agriculture to pharmaceuticals, and from materials science to planetary defense; DNA synthesis is, after all, the foundational tool for engineering biology and biomanufacturing.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Private investments in nuclear energy have also soared within the last year, with major tech companies including Google, Meta, and Amazon racing to secure enough power for their AI advancements.—
Christian Datoc,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Oct. 2025
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Meta said this partnership is the latest step in bringing technological advancements from the world of AI to Formula 1 and its global fan base.—
Kanika Talwar,
Footwear News,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Breakthrough.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/breakthrough. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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