break the story

verb

To be the first to address or publicize an issue, often a news story.

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Meanings

verbbreak the story (third-person singular simple present breaks the story, present participle breaking the story, simple past broke the story, past participle broken the story)

present singular third person breaks the story · participle present breaking the story · past broke the story · participle past broken the story

  1. idiomaticTo be the first to address or publicize an issue, often a news story.
  2. idiomaticscreenwriting jargonTo create or determine the outline of the story of a screenplay.
Cite this entry
APA

break the story. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20the%20story

MLA

“break the story.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20the%20story. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “break the story,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20the%20story.

Source: break the story on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.