break one's neck

English

Verb

break one's neck (third-person singular simple present breaks one's neck, present participle breaking one's neck, simple past broke one's neck, past participle broken one's neck)

1. (idiomatic) To make extraordinary efforts to achieve an end; to exert oneself in pursuit of a goal.

   Synonyms: break one's back, (vulgar) bust one's ass, (vulgar) work one's ass off

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see break,‎ neck.

Further reading

• “break one’s neck to do something”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “break one’s neck, .”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “break one's neck”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “break someone's neck” (US) / “break someone's neck” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• “break one's neck”, in Collins English Dictionary.