bork

¹

[bawrk]

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to malfunction, especially computer hardware or software: The fonts are borked when the site is accessed from a mobile device.

   Installing updates in the wrong order will bork all of your saved games.

   The fonts are borked when the site is accessed from a mobile device.

2. to mess up, ruin, break, botch, etc.: Of course I borked my leg on the first day of our ski trip.

   He said all of the wrong things during his interview and completely borked his chances of being invited back.

   Of course I borked my leg on the first day of our ski trip.

bork

²

[bawrk]

verb (used with object)

1. to attack (a candidate or public figure) systematically, especially in the media.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bork¹

First recorded in 2000–05; perhaps an alteration of break ( def. ), influenced by bork ² ( def. )

Origin of bork²

An Americanism dating back to 1988; after Judge Robert H. Bork, whose appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court was blocked in 1987 after an extensive media campaign by his opponents

Example Sentences

He joined right-wing organizations, voted for Reagan twice, and even loved Robert Bork.

Read more on Literature

County Superior Court Judge Terry Bork directed the company to shut down the scrap yard for good and sign a land covenant that would prohibit future recycling on the site.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Bork also ordered Atlas to pay $2 million in fines and penalties, including $1 million in restitution to Los Angeles Unified School District.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He was widely seen as the “nice guy” alternative to Bork’s combative demeanor and Ginsburg’s youthful indiscretions.

Read more on Slate

When President Reagan nominated Robert Bork to the Supreme Court in 1987, it seemed a historical turning point: the moment when the court would end its decadeslong progressive trajectory and turn in a more conservative, originalist direction.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal