broken
- 1
- 2Not working as it should anymore.
Like a toy that no longer moves when you turn it on.
The printer is broken again, so we can't print anything.
She tried to fix the broken washing machine.
Similarfaulty, defective, inoperative
Oppositeworking, functional, operational
- 3Past participle of break. Use this form after have, has, had, or a form of be.
He has broken his phone again.
The window was broken during the storm.
UsageSay has broken (not
incorrect: has broke). - 4
- 5Feeling so sad and beaten that you give up hope.
Like a candle flame that has finally been blown out.
After losing everything, he felt completely broken.
The broken survivors could barely speak about the disaster.
UsagePeople say a broken man.
Similarcrushed, shattered, devastated, defeated, dispirited
Note
- 6Not kept or obeyed, like a promise or a rule.
Like a pinky promise that someone forgets to keep.
A broken promise can really hurt someone's feelings.
The deal was broken when they changed the rules.
Similarviolated, unkept, unfulfilled
Oppositehonored
- 7Made so badly that it does not work the way it should.
Our school's lunch system is broken, so long lines form every day.
Everyone agreed the old scoring rules were broken from the start.
Similarflawed, dysfunctional, defective
- 8Stopping and starting again and again, not steady, like broken sleep.
Like music that keeps stopping and starting again.
She had a broken sleep, waking up many times in the night.
After the baby came, I only got broken sleep for months.
Similardisturbed, fitful, intermittent, disrupted
Oppositecontinuous, uninterrupted, steady
- 9Spoken or written with many mistakes, often by someone still learning the language.
Like a path with missing stones: you can still cross, but it is bumpy.
He spoke broken English but made himself understood.
Her French was broken, yet the locals were patient and kind.
UsageSay broken English. It can sound unkind.
Similarhalting, imperfect, faltering
Oppositefluent
Note
Less common meanings
- 10
- 11Too strong in a game, giving one player an unfair edge over the rest.
That new weapon is totally broken because it kills everything in one hit.
Players said the new character was broken and far too easy to win with.
Similaroverpowered
Oppositebalanced
Note
- 12Made of short lines with small gaps between them.
Like a row of dashes instead of one long line.
Draw the fold as a broken line, not a solid one.
The center stripe on the road was broken, so cars could pass.
Oppositesolid, continuous
- 13Mostly covered by clouds, but with some clear gaps still showing through.
Like a gray blanket pulled over the sky with a few small holes torn in it.
The forecast calls for broken clouds and a chance of rain.
We caught patches of blue through the broken clouds overhead.
Note
- 14Feeling wrong and sad because things did not happen the way you hoped.
- 15Having no money left at all.
Showing meanings only.
broken is a form of break
break, verb: To make something crack or come apart into pieces, like a glass or a bone, or to crack this way. Full entry
- Spelling
- break → broken: irregular (no -ed)
Practice
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Origin
This is the old past participle form of the verb "break," from Old English.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts
- Broken is the historical past participle form of break. en.wiktionary.org
- Broken derives from Old English. en.wiktionary.org