broken

[ broh-kuhn ]

/ ˈbroʊ kən /

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See synonyms for: broken / brokenly / brokenness on Thesaurus.com

verb

past participle of break.

adjective

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.

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QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!

Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!

Question 1 of 7

Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?

First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.

First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.

First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.

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OTHER WORDS FROM broken

bro·ken·ly, adverbbro·ken·ness, nounhalf-broken, adjectivewell-broken, adjective

Words nearby broken

broil, broiler, broiler house, brokage, broke, broken, Broken Arrow, broken-check, broken chord, broken coal, broken consort

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for broken

It’s no longer neat and clean, but rather it’s a mess of obsolete content, 404 errors, broken links, and other online debris.
How to teach an old blog new SEO tricks|Tom Pick|August 27, 2020|Search Engine Watch
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 News
A 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.
A Proud Belarusian’s Heartbreak|Tracy Moran|August 18, 2020|Ozy
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|Ozy

Performances 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|DAILY BEAST
His 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|DAILY BEAST
A grand jury investigated but found Foster had broken no law.
The Louisiana Racists Who Courted Steve Scalise|Jason Berry|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
And besides, as a nation, we hold this truth to be self-evident: resolutions are made to be broken.
Forget the Resolutions; Try a Few Declarations|Kevin Bleyer|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In less than ten minutes, the bivouac was broken up, and our little army on the march.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
On May 13 Polavieja arrived in Barcelona physically broken, half blind, and with evident traces of a disordered liver.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Do you want the marriage of your daughter with the rich and Honourable Harry broken?
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Broken 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 Bastin
But 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

broken

/ (ˈbrəʊkən) /

verb

the past participle of break

adjective

fractured, smashed, or splintereda broken vase

imperfect or incomplete; fragmentarya broken set of books

interrupted; disturbed; disconnectedbroken sleep

intermittent or discontinuousbroken sunshine

varying in direction or intensity, as of pitcha broken note; a broken run

not functioninga 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 disappointmenta broken heart

(of the speech of a foreigner) imperfect in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciationbroken English

Also: broken-in made tame or disciplined by traininga broken horse; a broken recruit

exhausted or weakened as through ill-health or misfortune

confused or disorganizedbroken ranks of soldiers

breached or openedbroken defensive lines

irregular or rough; unevenbroken ground

bankrupt or out of moneya 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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verb

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Derived forms of broken

MEANINGS

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WORD OF THE DAY

broken

verb

adjective

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OTHER WORDS FROM broken

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Words related to broken

Example sentences from the Web for broken

British Dictionary definitions for broken

verb

adjective

Derived forms of broken