breakthrough
UK /ˈbɹeɪk.θɹuː/ · US /ˈbɹeɪk.θɹu/ adjective, noun
Forms breakthroughs breakthru
- adjective Characterized by major progress or overcoming some obstacle. “a breakthrough technological advance”
- adjective (immunology) Involving the contraction of a disease by a person with a decreased susceptibility, such as a person who has been vaccinated to help prevent that disease.
- noun (military) An advance through and past enemy lines.
- noun Any major progress; such as a great innovation or discovery that overcomes a significant obstacle. “Albert Einstein is credited with making some of the greatest breakthroughs in modern physics.”
- noun (sports) The penetration of the opposition's defence.
- noun (construction) The penetration of a separating wall or the remaining distance to an adjacent hollow (a crosscut in mining) or between two parts of a tunnel build from both ends.
- noun (medicine, sometimes attributive) The emergence or one or more symptoms of a condition despite medication or other medical treatment. “She was on two antiepileptics for five years but then had a breakthrough seizure.”
Synonyms
Etymology
From break + through. Compare German Durchbruch and Dutch doorbraak (“breakthrough”, literally “through-break”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “breakthrough”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details