bro·ken
verb
past participle of break1.
adjective: broken
- having been fractured or damaged and no longer in one piece or in working order.
- (of a marriage or other long-term relationship) having ended.
- denoting a family in which the parents are divorced or separated.
- (of a person) having given up all hope; despairing.
- having breaks or gaps in continuity.
-
- (of speech or a language) spoken falteringly, as if overcome by emotion, or with many mistakes, as by a foreigner.
- having an uneven and rough surface.
break1
verb
past participle: broken
- separate or cause to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain.
- sustain an injury involving the fracture of a bone or bones in a part of the body.
- cause a cut or graze in (the skin).
- make or become inoperative.
- (of the amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus) be or cause to be discharged when the sac is ruptured in the first stages of labor.
- informal
open (a safe) forcibly. - use (a piece of paper currency) to pay for something and receive change out of the transaction.
- (of two boxers or wrestlers) come out of a clinch, especially at the referee’s command.
- unfurl (a flag or sail).
- succeed in deciphering (a code).
- open (a shotgun or rifle) at the breech.
- disprove (an alibi).
- invalidate (a will) through legal process.
- interrupt (a sequence, course, or continuous state).
- put an end to (a silence) by speaking or making contact.
- British
make a pause in (a journey). - stop proceedings in order to have a pause or vacation.
- lessen the impact of (a fall).
- put an end to (a tie in a game) by making a score.
- disconnect or interrupt (an electrical circuit).
- stop oneself from engaging in (a habitual practice).
- surpass (a record).
- fail to observe (a law, regulation, or agreement).
- fail to continue with (a self-imposed discipline).
- crush the emotional strength, spirit, or resistance of.
- (of a person’s emotional strength) give way.
- destroy the power of (a movement or organization).
- destroy the effectiveness of (a strike), typically by bringing in other people to replace the striking workers.
- tame or train (a horse).
- (of the weather) change suddenly.
- (of a storm) begin violently.
- (of dawn or day) begin with the sun rising.
- (of clouds) move apart and begin to disperse.
- (of waves) curl over and dissolve into foam.
- (of the voice) falter and change tone, due to emotion.
- (of a boy’s voice) change in tone and register at puberty.
- Phonetics
(of a vowel) develop into a diphthong, under the influence of an adjacent sound. - (of prices on the stock exchange) fall sharply.
- make the first stroke at the beginning of a game of billiards, pool, or snooker.
- (of news or a scandal) suddenly become public.
- make bad news known to (someone).
- (chiefly of an attacking player or team, or of a military force) make a rush or dash in a particular direction.
- (of a pitched baseball) curve or drop on its way toward the batter.
- (of a bowled cricket ball) change direction on bouncing, due to spin.
- (of a ball) rebound unpredictably.
Origin
Old English brecan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch breken and German brechen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin frangere ‘to break’.
