break the Internet (English, verb)
expansion: break the Internet (third-person singular simple present breaks the Internet, present participle breaking the Internet, simple past broke the Internet, past participle broken the Internet)
Senses:
glosses: To cause a connection to the Internet, or the Internet itself, to malfunction.
tags: US
colloquial
idiomatic
literally
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: To overwhelm a web server through organic user-driven demand, such that the server goes offline or is in danger of doing so.
tags: figuratively
humorous
idiomatic
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: To deliberately overwhelm a web server through a cyberattack such as a DDOS, such that the server goes offline or is in danger of doing so.
tags: figuratively
idiomatic
glosses: To do or say something ostentatious or controversial, such that the behavior causes a dramatic increase in traffic to a website or commentary on social media; to go viral.
tags: Internet
figuratively
humorous
idiomatic
Forms:
form: breaks the Internet
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: breaking the Internet
tags: participle
present
form: broke the Internet
tags: past
form: broken the Internet
tags: participle
past
form: break the internet
tags: alternative
form: break the internets
tags: alternative