Casualverb
sfondare
to make it big, to break through, to go hard
Literal Translation
"to break through the bottom"
Formal Equivalent
avere grande successo, emergere
Examples in Context
"Quella cantante ha sfondato su TikTok in una settimana."
"That singer blew up on TikTok in one week."
"Vuole sfondare nel mondo della moda."
"She wants to make it big in the fashion world."
⚠️
Cultural Note
Used both literally (to break something) and figuratively (to achieve massive success). In youth slang, it's almost always about career or social media success. 'Sfondare' on social media = going viral. Also used for partying hard: 'ieri sera abbiamo sfondato' (we went hard last night).
Want to practice Italian?
Take a free placement test and start with grammar exercises.