Definition of 'broken'

Word Frequency

broken

(broʊkən )

2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]

A broken line is not continuous but has gaps or spaces in it.

A broken blue line means the course of a waterless valley.

3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]

You can use broken to describe a marriage that has ended in divorce, or a home in which the parents of the family are divorced, when you think this is a sad or bad thing.

[disapproval]

She spoke for the first time about the traumas of a broken marriage.

Children from broken homes are more likely to leave home before the age of 18.

Synonyms: failed, ruined, wrecked, unsuccessful More Synonyms of broken

4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]

If someone talks in broken English, for example, or in broken French, they speak slowly and make a lot of mistakes because they do not know the language very well.

Eric could only respond in broken English.

Synonyms: imperfect, halting, hesitating, stammering More Synonyms of broken

More Synonyms of broken

Video: pronunciation of
broken

broken in British English

(ˈbrəʊkən )

verb

1. the past participle of break

adjective

fractured, smashed, or splintered

a broken vase

imperfect or incomplete; fragmentary

a broken set of books

interrupted; disturbed; disconnected

broken sleep

intermittent or discontinuous

broken sunshine

varying in direction or intensity, as of pitch

a broken note

a broken run

not functioning

a broken radio

spoilt or ruined by divorce (esp in the phrases broken home, broken marriage)

(of a trust, promise, contract, etc) violated; infringed

10.

overcome with grief or disappointment

a broken heart

11.

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

broken English

12. Also: broken-in

made tame or disciplined by training

a broken horse

a broken recruit

13.

exhausted or weakened as through ill-health or misfortune

14.

confused or disorganized

broken ranks of soldiers

15.

breached or opened

broken defensive lines

16.

irregular or rough; uneven

broken ground

17.

bankrupt or out of money

a broken industry

18.

(of colour) having a multicoloured decorative effect, as by stippling paint onto a surface

19. South Africa informal

drunk

Derived forms

brokenly (ˈbrokenly)

adverb

Word Frequency

broken in American English

(ˈbroʊkən )

verb transitive, verb intransitive

1. pp. of

break

adjective

split or cracked into pieces; splintered, fractured, burst, etc.

not in working condition; out of order

a broken watch

not kept or observed; violated

a broken promise

disrupted, as by divorce

a broken home

sick, weakened, or beaten

broken health, a broken spirit

bankrupt

not even or continuous; interrupted

broken terrain, broken tones

not complete

a broken set of Shakespeare's works

10.

imperfectly spoken, esp. with reference to grammar and syntax

broken English

11.

subdued and trained; tamed

12. Informal

demoted in rank

Examples of 'broken' in a sentence
broken

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

Councillor Steel's conversation, though as full as ever of complaint and accusation, did not seem to have broken any new ground.The ground was treacherous, pockmarked with deep holes, dead soldiers and broken horses.Beside a bank was a huge pile of loose bricks, broken concrete, twisted metal.