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 didn’t come from a broken home, and I had the best of everything, but, yet, I didn’t have what I would have liked to have had, which is full communication.

From Salon • Jan. 22, 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

"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

In 1910 Thelma and her sister, Katherine, escaped their broken home with their mother, Glenna, to reboot in Montana.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2020

That meant Terryl, the little girl from the broken home, would be the mom trying to keep the pattern from reproducing itself.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel