Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Broken
1.
Separated into parts or pieces by violence; divided into fragments;
as, a
. broken
chain or rope; a broken
dish2.
Disconnected; not continuous; also, rough; uneven;
as, a
. broken
surface3.
Fractured; cracked; disunited; sundered; strained; apart;
as, a
. broken
reed; broken
friendship4.
Made infirm or weak, by disease, age, or hardships.
The one being who remembered him as he been before his mind was
broken
. G. Eliot.
The
Sat by his fire, and talked the night away.
broken
soldier, kindly bade to stay,Sat by his fire, and talked the night away.
Goldsmith.
5.
Subdued; humbled; contrite.
The sacrifices of God are a
broken
spirit. Ps. li. 17.
6.
Subjugated; trained for use, as a horse.
7.
Crushed and ruined as by something that destroys hope; blighted.
“Her broken love and life.” G. Eliot.
8.
Not carried into effect; not adhered to; violated;
as, a
. broken
promise, vow, or contract; a broken
law9.
Ruined financially; incapable of redeeming promises made, or of paying debts incurred;
as, a
. broken
bank; a broken
tradesman10.
Imperfectly spoken, as by a foreigner;
as,
; imperfectly spoken on account of emotion; broken
Englishas, to say a few
. broken
words at partingAmidst the
broken
words and loud weeping of those grave senators. Macaulay.
Broken ground
. (a)
(Mil.)
Rough or uneven ground;
as, the troops were retarded in their advance by
. broken ground
(b)
Ground recently opened with the plow.
– Broken line
(Geom.)
, the straight lines which join a number of given points taken in some specified order.
– Broken meat
, fragments of meat or other food.
– Broken number
, a fraction.
– Broken weather
, unsettled weather.
Webster 1828 Edition
Broken
BRO'KEN
,pp.
Definition 2024
Broken
broken
broken
See also: Broken
English
Verb
broken
- past participle of break
Adjective
broken (comparative more broken, superlative most broken)
- Fragmented, in separate pieces.
- (of a bone or body part) Fractured; having the bone in pieces.
- My arm is broken!
- the ground was littered with broken bones
- (of skin) Split or ruptured.
- A dog bit my leg and now the skin is broken.
- (of a line) Dashed, made up of short lines with small gaps between each one and the next.
- (of sleep) Interrupted; not continuous.
- (Can we date this quote?), Jack London, White Fang:
- Then the circle would lie down again, and here and there a wolf would resume its broken nap.
- (Can we date this quote?), Jack London, White Fang:
- (meteorology, of the sky) Five-eighths to seven-eighths obscured by clouds; incompletely covered by clouds.
- Tomorrow: broken skies.
- (of a bone or body part) Fractured; having the bone in pieces.
- (of a promise, etc) Breeched; violated; not kept.
- broken promises of neutrality, broken vows, the broken covenant
- Non-functional; not functioning properly.
- I think my doorbell is broken.
- (of an electronic connection) Disconnected, no longer open or carrying traffic.
- (software, informal) Badly designed or implemented.
- This is the most broken application I've seen in a long time.
- (pejorative, of language) Grammatically non-standard, especially as a result of being a non-native speaker.
- (colloquial, US, of a situation) Not having gone in the way intended; saddening.
- Oh man! That is just broken!
- (of a person) Completely defeated and dispirited; shattered; destroyed.
- The bankruptcy and divorce, together with the death of his son, left him completely broken.
- Having no money; bankrupt, broke.
- (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought):
- (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.
- 2005, Will Cook, Until Darkness Disappears, page 54:
- (sports and gaming, of a tactic or option) Overpowered; overly powerful; too powerful.
Usage notes
- Nouns to which "broken" is often applied: glass, vase, cup, mirror, window, bone, wing, leg, arm, hand, foot, heart, egg, tool, sword, column, road, bridge, stick, device, machine, camera, TV, car, computer, promise, vow, law, trust, dream, relationship, friendship, love, family, marriage, bond, tie, silence, ground, land, circle, image, language, spirit, soul.
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Terms derived from broken
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Related terms
Translations
fragmented
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having the bone in pieces, fractured
of a line: dashed
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of skin: split or ruptured
not working properly
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completely defeated and dispirited
poorly spoken
having no money
uneven of relief, cut by valleys
disconnected
of software: badly designed or implemented
meteorology: five eighths to seven eighths obscured by clouds
sports and gaming: very powerful
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