Wiktionary

broken

See also: Broken

English

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Etymology

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From Middle English broken, from Old English brocen, ġebrocen, from Proto-Germanic *brukanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *brekaną (“to break”). Cognate with Dutch gebroken (“broken”), German Low German broken (“broken”), German gebrochen (“broken”).

Morphologically broke +‎ -n.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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broken

  1. past participle of break

Adjective

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broken (comparative more broken, superlative most broken)

 
A broken mug.
  1. Fragmented; in separate pieces.
    One recent morning the team had to replace a broken weather research station.
    • 2022 September 15, 2:33 from the start, in President Zelensky visits frontline as Ukraine reclaims more territory - BBC News‎[1], BBC News, archived from the original on 15 September 2022:
      Local people say there were Russian and Chechen forces here. […] Over here on the wall, one interesting detail- a single word, which someone has written in broken English: "Sori".
    1. (of a bone or body part) Fractured; having the bone in pieces.
      My arm is broken!
      The ground was littered with broken bones.
    2. (of skin) Split or ruptured.
      A dog bit my leg and now the skin is broken.
    3. (of a line) Dashed; made up of short lines with small gaps between each one and the next.
    4. (of sleep) Interrupted; not continuous.
    5. (meteorology, of the sky) Five-eighths to seven-eighths obscured by clouds; incompletely covered by clouds.
      Tomorrow: broken skies.
    6. (of a melody) Having periods of silence scattered throughout; not regularly continuous.
  2. (of a promise, etc) Breached; violated; not kept.
    broken promises of neutrality
    broken vows
    the broken covenant
  3. Non-functional; not functioning properly.
    I think my doorbell is broken.
    1. (of an electronic connection) Disconnected, no longer open or carrying traffic.
    2. (software, informal) Badly designed or implemented.
      This is the most broken application I've seen in a long time.
    4. (of language) Grammatically non-standard, especially as a result of being produced by a non-native speaker.
      • 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:
        His conversation was in French with Mailey and Roxton, who both spoke the language well, but he had to fall back upon broken English with Malone, who could only utter still more broken French in reply.
      • 1979, “Broken English”, performed by Marianne Faithfull:
        Don't say it in Russian / Don't say it in German / Say it in broken English
    5. (colloquial, US, of a situation) Not having gone in the way intended; saddening.
      Oh man! That is just broken!
  4. (of a person) Completely defeated and dispirited; shattered; destroyed.
    The bankruptcy and divorce, together with the death of his son, left him completely broken.
    • 2006, “Welcome to the Black Parade”, in The Black Parade, performed by My Chemical Romance:
      He said, "Son, when you grow up / Would you be the savior of the broken / The beaten, and the damned?"
    • 2011, Dia Frampton (lyrics and music), “The Broken Ones”, in Red‎[2], performed by Dia Frampton:
      And oh, maybe I see a part of me in them / The missing piece, always trying to fit in / The shattered heart, hungry for a home / No, you're not alone / I love the broken ones / I love the broken ones
  5. Having no money; bankrupt, broke.
    (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)
  6. (of land) Uneven.
    • 2005, Will Cook, Until Darkness Disappears, page 54:
      All that day they rode into broken land. The prairie with its grass and rolling hills was behind them, and they entered a sparse, dry, rocky country, full of draws and short cañons and ominous buttresses.
  7. (sports, video games, of a tactic or option) Overpowered; overly powerful; giving a player too much power.
    This item is incredibly broken. I win almost every run I get to use it.

Synonyms

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Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Collocations

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with nouns (physical sense)
  • broken glass
  • broken vase
  • broken cup
  • broken mirror
  • broken window
  • broken bone
  • broken wing
  • broken leg
  • broken arm
  • broken hand
  • broken foot
  • broken egg
  • broken tool
  • broken sword
  • broken column
  • broken road
  • broken bridge
  • broken stick
  • broken device
  • broken machine
  • broken camera
  • broken TV
  • broken car
  • broken computer
  • broken land
  • broken circle
with nouns (abstract sense)
  • broken heart
  • broken promise
  • broken vow
  • broken law
  • broken trust
  • broken dream
  • broken relationship
  • broken friendship
  • broken love
  • broken family
  • broken marriage
  • broken bond
  • broken tie
  • broken silence
  • broken image
  • broken language
  • broken spirit
  • broken soul

Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Further reading

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  • “broken”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

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