broken

UK /ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩/ US /ˈbɹoʊ.kɪn/

adj 5name 1

Definitions

adj

Fragmented; in separate pieces.

One recent morning the team had to replace a broken weather research station.

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".

Fragmented; in separate pieces.

My arm is broken!

The ground was littered with broken bones.

Fragmented; in separate pieces.

A dog bit my leg and now the skin is broken.

Fragmented; in separate pieces.

Then the circle would lie down again, and here and there a wolf would resume its broken nap.

name

Torres Strait Creole.

Collocations

(adj.)

VERBS

get

My phone got broken when I dropped it on the stairs yesterday.

ADV

badly

She dropped her phone and the screen was badly broken, so she had to buy a new one.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

adjective — (especially of promises or contracts) having been violated o

unkept

adjective — out of working order (`busted' is an informal substitute for

busted

adjective — destroyed financially

impoverished

adjective — thrown into a state of disarray or confusion

adjective — subdued or brought low in condition or status

crushed
humbled
humiliated
low

adjective — topographically very uneven

rugged

Antonyms

unbroken
kept

Idioms & Phrases

broken home

A home in which the parents have separated or divorced.

broken heart

A feeling of grief or loss, especially after a failed romantic relationship.

It took all the strength I had, not to fall apart / Just tryin' hard to mend the pieces of my broken heart

broken vessel

A person who is destroyed or forgotten, or who feels flawed or broken.

I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind; I am like a broken vessel.

a broken clock is right twice a day

Alternative form of a stopped clock is right twice a day.

rules are made to be broken

It is acceptable to break rules.

Example Bank

One recent morning the team had to replace a broken weather research station.

Wiktionary

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".

Wiktionary

My arm is broken!

Wiktionary

Aaah!! My computer is broken!

Tatoeba · #1910

Throw away the chairs whose legs are broken.

Tatoeba · #19896

Don't step on the broken glass.

Tatoeba · #21238

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, broken is marked as derogatory, slang. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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