broken-down
Americanadjective
-
shattered or collapsed, as with age; infirm.
-
having given way with use or age; out of working order.
a broken-down chair.
adjective
-
worn out, as by age or long use; dilapidated
a broken-down fence
-
not in working order
a broken-down tractor
-
physically or mentally ill
Etymology
Origin of broken-down
First recorded in 1810–20
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.
From his second-floor apartment that overlooked a stretch of road in Sylmar lined with broken-down RV’s, Vincent Wolf fumed.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026
Redeveloping Venezuela’s broken-down oil infrastructure will cost tens of billions of dollars at least, and companies likely want assurances their investments will be worth it long-term.
From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026
There was the Picasso of late-19th-century realism; the Picasso of angular, broken-down Cubist shapes; the Picasso of playfully deformed portraits.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025
Why trade away Reaves in the prime of his career and keep a broken-down LeBron James? 2025-2026 will probably be his last season.
From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2025
Reek rode a broken-down stot, all skin and bone and ribs, and he rode her slowly for fear he might fall off.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
