kaput

[ kah-poot, -poot, kuh- ]

adjective

, Slang.

1. ruined; done for; demolished.
2. unable to operate or continue:

   The washing machine is suddenly kaput.

kaput

/ kæˈpʊt /

adjective

1. informal.
   postpositive ruined, broken, or not functioning

Word History and Origins

Origin of kaput¹

First recorded in 1890–95; from German: originally, “trickless” (in game of piquet), from French (être) capot “(to be) without tricks,” i.e., make zero score

Word History and Origins

Origin of kaput¹

C20: from German kaputt done for, from French être capot to have made no tricks (literally: to be hoodwinked), from capot hooded cloak

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. go kaput, Slang. to cease functioning; break down:

   The old car finally went kaput.

Example Sentences

We’re going to lose such a lot of digital history if Twitter goes kaput without warning.

From MIT Technology Review

Because he played for the Mets, for whom no downturn is complete without drivetime-radio fodder, he also responded to booing in kind, at which point any hope for a happy introductory season went kaput.

From FiveThirtyEight

At the end of the battery life, models with a built-in battery are kaput.

From Popular-Science

I wear them religiously all season, and then they’re basically kaput by the time the next year rolls around.

From Outside Online

That includes losses in countries such as Nigeria, where 41 percent of refrigerators were nonfunctional, and Ethiopia, which had about 30 percent of its cold-chain equipment go kaput.

From Science News

And his other franchise, Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D, is probably kaput.

From The Daily Beast

When he emerged from his drunken stupor, his relationship with Methot was kaput.

From The Daily Beast

Breaking Bad—one of the greatest television dramas of all time, with a finale that attracted 10.3 million viewers—is kaput.

From The Daily Beast

The best idea for Depp, then, would be to embrace this idea that the category of “box-office star” is kaput, for him at least.

From The Daily Beast

He thinks the fling is kaput, even though Alex threatens suicide when he leaves.

From The Daily Beast

When remonstrated with, they just laughed and said: "Kaput czar, kaput Russia—kaput tout," and that is all there was to it.

From Project Gutenberg

Soon I shall take to drinking; then I shall be "Kaput" veree quick.

From Project Gutenberg

They think we are 'kaput' too; they only look to the end of the war.

From Project Gutenberg

Soon I shall take to drinking, then I shall be 'Kaput' very quick.

From Project Gutenberg