broken: Meaning and Definition of

bro•ken

Pronunciation: (brō'kun), [key]
— v.
  1. pp. of
—adj.
  1. reduced to fragments; fragmented.
  2. ruptured; torn; fractured.
  3. not functioning properly; out of working order.
  4. (of sky cover) being more than half, but not totally, covered by clouds. Cf. scattered (def. 4).
  5. changing direction abruptly: The fox ran in a broken line.
  6. fragmentary or incomplete: a broken ton of coal weighing 1,500 pounds.
  7. infringed or violated: A broken promise is a betrayal of trust.
  8. interrupted, disrupted, or disconnected: After the phone call he returned to his broken sleep.
  9. weakened in strength, spirit, etc.: His broken health was due to alcoholism.
  10. tamed, trained, or reduced to submission: The horse was broken to the saddle.
  11. imperfectly spoken, as language: She still speaks broken English.
  12. spoken in a halting or fragmentary manner, as under emotional strain: He uttered a few broken words of sorrow.
  13. disunited or divided: Divorce results in broken families.
  14. not smooth; rough or irregular: We left the plains and rode through broken country.
  15. ruined; bankrupt: the broken fortunes of his family.
  16. a quantity of paper of less than 500 or 1000 sheets.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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