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.
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'.
Add your own interpretation of "b-boying".
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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He'd been b-boying since he was twelve, practising headspins in the school gym until he could hold them for thirty seconds.
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.
(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.