broken

adjective
UK: /ˈbrəʊkən/
US: /ˈbroʊkən/

  1. Damaged or in pieces; no longer working.

    1. My toy is broken now, so I can't play. [ ] [ ]
    2. The antique vase was broken during the unexpected earthquake, so it needed repair. [ ] [ ]

  2. Not kept; violated.

    1. I have broken my promise to eat less candy. [ ] [ ]
    2. The treaty was broken by one country, leading to renewed conflict and instability. [ ] [ ]

  3. Interrupted; disrupted.

    1. The speaker's voice was broken with emotion. [ ] [ ]
    2. Communications were broken due to the severe storm, making coordination difficult. [ ] [ ]

  4. Having been tamed.

    1. The horse has been broken for riding. [ ] [ ]
    2. The spirit of the rebellious prisoner was eventually broken through harsh treatment. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

fractured smashed
broken verb

  1. Past participle of 'break'. To separate into pieces; to fail to keep a promise.

    1. The window was broken by the ball. [ ] [ ]
    2. He had broken his vow of silence, revealing the organization's hidden secrets. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "broken" in English means: Damaged or in pieces; no longer working., Not kept; violated., Interrupted; disrupted., Having been tamed..

The phonetic transcription of "broken" is /ˈbrəʊkən/ in British English and /ˈbroʊkən/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "broken": fractured, smashed.

Example usage of "broken": "My toy is broken now, so I can't play.". More examples on the page.