b-boying
The original and technically preferred term for breakdancing — the acrobatic street dance form that emerged from the South Bronx hip-hop scene in the early 1970s.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1970 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
The original and technically preferred term for breakdancing — the acrobatic street dance form that emerged from the South Bronx hip-hop scene in the early 1970s. 'B-boying' is the verb form, referring to the act of performing as a b-boy or b-girl. Practitioners prefer 'b-boying' over 'breakdancing', which is seen as a media-imposed outsider label. The dance encompasses power moves, freezes, footwork, and toprock, and became a competitive global discipline — officially included in the 2024 Paris Olympics as 'Breaking'.
He'd been b-boying since he was twelve, practising headspins in the school gym until he could hold them for thirty seconds.
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The original and technically preferred term for breakdancing, the acrobatic, rhythmic street dance form that emerged from Bronx hip-hop culture in the 1970s. Practitioners are called b-boys and b-girls. B-boying is the insiders' term; breakdancing was largely popularized by media coverage. It encompasses toprock, footwork, freezes, and power moves and remains a competitive global discipline. The 2024 Paris Olympics included b-boying as an official competition event, bringing the term back into mainstream discussion after decades as a subculture term.
He had been b-boying since he was twelve and could still pull off a flare during his lunch break.
Comments
(dance, slang) Breakdancing.
B-boying means: Breakdancing.. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
b-boying means: Breakdancing.. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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