broken
Americanverb
adjective
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reduced to fragments; fragmented.
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ruptured; torn; fractured.
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not functioning properly; out of working order.
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Meteorology. (of sky cover) being more than half, but not totally, covered by clouds.
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changing direction abruptly.
The fox ran in a broken line.
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fragmentary or incomplete.
a broken ton of coal weighing 1,500 pounds.
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infringed or violated.
A broken promise is a betrayal of trust.
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interrupted, disrupted, or disconnected.
After the phone call he returned to his broken sleep.
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weakened in strength, spirit, etc..
His broken health was due to alcoholism.
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tamed, trained, or reduced to submission.
The horse was broken to the saddle.
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imperfectly spoken, as language.
She still speaks broken English.
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spoken in a halting or fragmentary manner, as under emotional strain.
He uttered a few broken words of sorrow.
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(of a relationship) split apart; not intact.
a broken marriage.
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(of a family) disunited or divided by the prolonged or permanent absence of a parent, usually due to divorce or desertion: broken families.
a child from a broken home;
broken families.
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not smooth; rough or irregular.
We left the plains and rode through broken country.
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ruined; bankrupt.
the broken fortunes of his family.
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Papermaking, Printing. a quantity of paper of less than 500 or 1000 sheets.
verb
adjective
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fractured, smashed, or splintered
a broken vase
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imperfect or incomplete; fragmentary
a broken set of books
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interrupted; disturbed; disconnected
broken sleep
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intermittent or discontinuous
broken sunshine
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varying in direction or intensity, as of pitch
a broken note
a broken run
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not functioning
a broken radio
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spoilt or ruined by divorce (esp in the phrases broken home , broken marriage )
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(of a trust, promise, contract, etc) violated; infringed
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overcome with grief or disappointment
a broken heart
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(of the speech of a foreigner) imperfect in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation
broken English
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Also: broken-in. made tame or disciplined by training
a broken horse
a broken recruit
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exhausted or weakened as through ill-health or misfortune
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confused or disorganized
broken ranks of soldiers
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breached or opened
broken defensive lines
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irregular or rough; uneven
broken ground
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bankrupt or out of money
a broken industry
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(of colour) having a multicoloured decorative effect, as by stippling paint onto a surface
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informal drunk
Other Word Forms
- brokenly adverb
- brokenness noun
- half-broken adjective
- well-broken adjective
Etymology
Origin of broken
First recorded in 1350–1400, for the adjective
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Water meters will be also be installed in homes where there are none or they have been broken.
From BBC
It matters because Matt Bauer, a commodity strategist at Ned Davis Research, has identified four prior instances where silver has broken such a streak with a 20% correction following an all-time high.
From Barron's
“First of all, the systems are broken and I’m all for figuring out a way to fix it,” said Alabama coach Nate Oats last week.
The last 48 hours have broken my heart to see how the football world you love so much can be so cruel to you.
From BBC
He accused Harvard of "serious and heinous illegalities", but did not clarify how he believed it had broken the law.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
