broken
past participle of break.
reduced to fragments; fragmented.
ruptured; torn; fractured.
not functioning properly; out of working order.
Meteorology. (of sky cover) being more than half, but not totally, covered by clouds.: Compare scattered (def. 4).
changing direction abruptly: The fox ran in a broken line.
fragmentary or incomplete: a broken ton of coal weighing 1,500 pounds.
infringed or violated: A broken promise is a betrayal of trust.
interrupted, disrupted, or disconnected: After the phone call he returned to his broken sleep.
weakened in strength, spirit, etc.: His broken health was due to alcoholism.
tamed, trained, or reduced to submission: The horse was broken to the saddle.
imperfectly spoken, as language: She still speaks broken English.
spoken in a halting or fragmentary manner, as under emotional strain: He uttered a few broken words of sorrow.
(of a relationship) split apart; not intact: a broken marriage.
(of a family) disunited or divided by the prolonged or permanent absence of a parent, usually due to divorce or desertion: a child from a broken home; broken families.
not smooth; rough or irregular: We left the plains and rode through broken country.
ruined; bankrupt: the broken fortunes of his family.
Papermaking, Printing. a quantity of paper of less than 500 or 1000 sheets.
Origin of broken
1Other words from broken
- bro·ken·ly, adverb
- bro·ken·ness, noun
- half-broken, adjective
- well-broken, adjective
Words Nearby broken
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use broken in a sentence
It’s no longer neat and clean, but rather it’s a mess of obsolete content, 404 errors, broken links, and other online debris.
The ichthyosaur’s fossilized body and head, while well preserved, are detached from one another, hinting that the animal may have died of a broken neck.
This ichthyosaur died after devouring a creature nearly as long as itself | Maria Temming | August 20, 2020 | Science NewsA week and a half into what has become the most widespread protests against the existing political order, you don’t see broken windows or burned-out cars.
Tweed traveled to the state capital Tallahassee for a drive-around rally to protest the broken system.
Florida’s Unemployment ‘Dream Team’ Helps 50K Tackle a Broken System | Joshua Eferighe | August 16, 2020 | OzyPerformances have resulted in torn Achilles tendons and broken backs.
For Aspiring Performers, The NBA Is The Best Place To Be A Mascot | Josh Planos | July 17, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
His first language was Russian, then he learned Swedish, but chooses to perform in monosyllabic broken English.
The Cult of Yung Lean: ‘I’m Building An Anarchistic Society From the Ground Up’ | Marlow Stern | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTHis surprise marriage to theater director Sophie Hunter may have broken hearts, but the squeals of delight were even louder.
All Your Internet Boyfriends Are Taken: Gosling, Cumberbatch, and now Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Melissa Leon | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTA grand jury investigated but found Foster had broken no law.
How many husbands, wives, sons, and daughters have we lost to a broken system?
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen | Parker Molloy | January 1, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd besides, as a nation, we hold this truth to be self-evident: resolutions are made to be broken.
In less than ten minutes, the bivouac was broken up, and our little army on the march.
On May 13 Polavieja arrived in Barcelona physically broken, half blind, and with evident traces of a disordered liver.
The Philippine Islands | John ForemanDo you want the marriage of your daughter with the rich and Honourable Harry broken?
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Lockebroken crocks should be strewn upon the tray, and on to this is heaped peaty soil mixed with sand.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard BastinBut I am afraid you would very soon get tired of us, and I ought to tell you, frankly, that our little home is to be—a broken up.
Confidence | Henry James
British Dictionary definitions for broken
/ (ˈbrəʊkən) /
the past participle of break
fractured, smashed, or splintered: a broken vase
imperfect or incomplete; fragmentary: a broken set of books
interrupted; disturbed; disconnected: broken sleep
intermittent or discontinuous: broken sunshine
varying in direction or intensity, as of pitch: a broken note; a broken run
not functioning: a broken radio
spoilt or ruined by divorce (esp in the phrases broken home, broken marriage)
(of a trust, promise, contract, etc) violated; infringed
overcome with grief or disappointment: a broken heart
(of the speech of a foreigner) imperfect in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation: broken English
Also: broken-in made tame or disciplined by training: a broken horse; a broken recruit
exhausted or weakened as through ill-health or misfortune
confused or disorganized: broken ranks of soldiers
breached or opened: broken defensive lines
irregular or rough; uneven: broken ground
bankrupt or out of money: a broken industry
(of colour) having a multicoloured decorative effect, as by stippling paint onto a surface
Southern African informal drunk
Derived forms of broken
- brokenly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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