# broken

Pronunciation: US say "BROH-kin" /ˈbɹoʊ.kɪn/; UK say "BROH-kuhn" /ˈbɹəʊ.kn̩/

## Adjective

1. Separated into pieces, cracked, or split open, so that it is no longer whole or no longer holds together.
   - Simple: In pieces, cracked, or split, so it is no longer whole.
   - _Shards of the broken vase were scattered across the kitchen tiles._
   - _After the crash, the windshield was completely broken._
2. No longer working or operating as it should, for example because of damage or because a connection has been cut.
   - Simple: Not working as it should anymore.
   - _The elevator has been broken for a week._
   - _Technicians replaced the broken sensor on the assembly line._
4. Fractured, with the bone cracked or split into pieces.
   - Simple: Cracked or snapped, as when a bone in the body is hurt.
   - _The X-ray confirmed a broken collarbone._
   - _His wrist was badly broken in the fall._
5. Completely defeated and dispirited; emotionally crushed and stripped of spirit.
   - Simple: Feeling so sad and beaten that you give up hope.
   - _He returned from the war a broken man, haunted and silent._
   - _Years of grief left her utterly broken._
6. Not honored or kept; violated, as with a promise, agreement, or law.
   - Simple: Not kept or obeyed, like a promise or a rule.
   - _Years of broken promises finally ended their friendship._
   - _The ceasefire was broken when shells fell again at dawn._
7. Poorly designed or put together, so it works badly or not at all. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Made so badly that it does not work the way it should.
   - _Reviewers slammed the game's broken matchmaking system._
   - _Critics called the proposal a broken approach to funding schools._
8. Interrupted at intervals rather than steady and continuous, as of sleep, speech, or a sound.
   - Simple: Stopping and starting again and again, not steady, like broken sleep.
   - _Their broken sleep left both new parents exhausted._
   - _The radio transmission was broken by repeated bursts of static._
9. Grammatically non-standard, especially as produced by someone who is not a native speaker.
   - Simple: Spoken or written with many mistakes, often by someone still learning the language.
   - _The tourist apologized for his broken Italian as he ordered lunch._
   - _After only a month in the country, his Polish was still quite broken._
10. Uneven or rough in surface or level, rising and dipping irregularly.
   - Simple: Rough and uneven, with bumps and dips instead of a flat surface.
   - _The trail wound across broken terrain littered with loose stones._
   - _Surveyors found the broken country hard to map accurately._
11. In games, so powerful that it unbalances play and hands a player an unfair advantage.
   - Simple: Too strong in a game, giving one player an unfair edge over the rest.
   - _Tournament organizers banned the broken combo before the finals began._
   - _The latest patch finally nerfed a broken item that had dominated every match._
12. Made up of short dashes with small gaps between each segment and the next.
   - Simple: Made of short lines with small gaps between them.
   - _The architect drew the proposed extension with a broken line on the blueprint._
   - _On the chart, projected figures appear as a broken line rather than a continuous curve._
13. Of the sky, obscured by clouds over five-eighths to seven-eighths of its extent, mostly overcast but not entirely.
   - Simple: Mostly covered by clouds, but with some clear gaps still showing through.
   - _The afternoon forecast called for broken cloud along the coast._
   - _Pilots reported a broken ceiling at about three thousand feet._

## Verb

3. Past participle of break. — past participle of break
   - Simple: Past participle of break. Use this form after have, has, had, or a form of be.
   - _She has broken the national record in the 400 meters twice this year._
   - _By morning the fever had broken and she felt much better._

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Describing a situation that did not turn out as intended and leaves people feeling let down.
- (adjective) Having no money; financially ruined or bankrupt.

## Origin

From Middle English broken, from Old English brocen (also ġebrocen), from Proto-Germanic *brukanaz, the past participle of *brekaną ("to break"). It is related to Dutch gebroken and German gebrochen, and is formed from broke + -n.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/broken (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).