broken home

American  

[broh-kuhn hohm] / ˈbroʊ kən ˈhoʊm /

noun

1. a family in which one parent is absent, usually due to divorce or desertion.

   children from broken homes.

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Etymology

Origin of broken home

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

I came from a broken home, and I was just like, “This isn’t my path — I’m not gonna repeat this thing.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 3, 2025

When you come from a broken home, what you want more than anything is to create a family unit, and create something that you didn’t have.

From Slate • May 23, 2023

"Sick person" is an identity category Frances finds herself uneasily inhabiting, much like "younger mistress" or "child of a broken home."

From Salon • May 24, 2022

"I thought it was the right thing to do to keep my family together, I didn't want my children to come from a broken home."

From BBC • May 5, 2022

Maybe I’m fighting the wind, this place called Detroit, my cousins and their walls, the prison that keeps my mother, my broken home country floating in the middle of a sinking sea.

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi