Break circuits beginning to explode (5)
I believe the answer is:
lapse
'break' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'circuits beginning to explode' is the wordplay.
'circuits' becomes 'laps' ('lap' can be a synonym of 'circuit').
'beginning to' says to take the initial letters.
The first letter of 'explode' is 'e'.
'laps'+'e'='LAPSE'
(Other definitions for lapse that I've seen before include "Brief failure of judgement" , "Pleas (anag)" , "Run out" , "Loss (in concentration, say?)" , "Slip; sounds like circuits" .)