Search Result for "broken": 
Wordnet 3.0

ADJECTIVE (13)

1. physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split;
- Example: "a broken mirror"
- Example: "a broken tooth"
- Example: "a broken leg"
- Example: "his neck is broken"

2. not continuous in space, time, or sequence or varying abruptly;
- Example: "broken lines of defense"
- Example: "a broken cable transmission"
- Example: "broken sleep"
- Example: "tear off the stub above the broken line"
- Example: "a broken note"
- Example: "broken sobs"

3. subdued or brought low in condition or status;
- Example: "brought low"
- Example: "a broken man"
- Example: "his broken spirit"
[syn: broken, crushed, humbled, humiliated, low]

4. (especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded;
- Example: "broken (or unkept) promises"
- Example: "broken contracts"
[syn: broken, unkept]

5. tamed or trained to obey;
- Example: "a horse broken to the saddle"
- Example: "this old nag is well broken in"
[syn: broken, broken in]

6. topographically very uneven;
- Example: "broken terrain"
- Example: "rugged ground"
[syn: broken, rugged]

7. imperfectly spoken or written;
- Example: "broken English"

8. thrown into a state of disarray or confusion;
- Example: "troops fleeing in broken ranks"
- Example: "a confused mass of papers on the desk"
- Example: "the small disordered room"
- Example: "with everything so upset"
[syn: broken, confused, disordered, upset]

9. weakened and infirm;
- Example: "broken health resulting from alcoholism"

10. destroyed financially;
- Example: "the broken fortunes of the family"
[syn: broken, wiped out(p), impoverished]

11. out of working order (`busted' is an informal substitute for `broken');
- Example: "a broken washing machine"
- Example: "the coke machine is broken"
- Example: "the coke machine is busted"
[syn: broken, busted]

12. discontinuous;
- Example: "broken clouds"
- Example: "broken sunshine"

13. lacking a part or parts;
- Example: "a broken set of encyclopedia"


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Break \Break\ (br[=a]k), v. t. [imp. broke (br[=o]k), (Obs. Brake); p. p. Broken (br[=o]"k'n), (Obs. Broke); p. pr. & vb. n. Breaking.] [OE. breken, AS. brecan; akin to OS. brekan, D. breken, OHG. brehhan, G. brechen, Icel. braka to creak, Sw. braka, br[aum]kka to crack, Dan. br[ae]kke to break, Goth. brikan to break, L. frangere. Cf. Bray to pound, Breach, Fragile.] 1. To strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with violence; as, to break a rope or chain; to break a seal; to break an axle; to break rocks or coal; to break a lock. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a package of goods. [1913 Webster] 3. To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate. [1913 Webster] Katharine, break thy mind to me. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 4. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise. [1913 Webster] Out, out, hyena! these are thy wonted arts . . . To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray. --Milton [1913 Webster] 5. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or terminate; as, to break silence; to break one's sleep; to break one's journey. [1913 Webster] Go, release them, Ariel; My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 6. To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as, to break a set. [1913 Webster] 7. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British squares. [1913 Webster] 8. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments. [1913 Webster] The victim broke in pieces the musical instruments with which he had solaced the hours of captivity. --Prescott. [1913 Webster] 9. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller denomination; as, to break a five dollar bill. [1913 Webster] 10. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as, to break flax. [1913 Webster] 11. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind. [1913 Webster] An old man, broken with the storms of state. --Shak. [1913 Webster] 12. To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a fall or blow. [1913 Webster] I'll rather leap down first, and break your fall. --Dryden. [1913 Webster] 13. To impart, as news or information; to broach; -- with to, and often with a modified word implying some reserve; as, to break the news gently to the widow; to break a purpose cautiously to a friend. [1913 Webster] 14. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or saddle. "To break a colt." --Spenser. [1913 Webster] Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute? --Shak. [1913 Webster] 15. To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to ruin. [1913 Webster] With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks, Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks. --Dryden. [1913 Webster] 16. To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier; to dismiss. [1913 Webster] I see a great officer broken. --Swift. [1913 Webster] Note: With prepositions or adverbs: [1913 Webster] To break down. (a) To crush; to overwhelm; as, to break down one's strength; to break down opposition. (b) To remove, or open a way through, by breaking; as, to break down a door or wall. To break in. (a) To force in; as, to break in a door. (b) To train; to discipline; as, a horse well broken in. To break of, to rid of; to cause to abandon; as, to break one of a habit. To break off. (a) To separate by breaking; as, to break off a twig. (b) To stop suddenly; to abandon. "Break off thy sins by righteousness." --Dan. iv. 27. To break open, to open by breaking. "Open the door, or I will break it open." --Shak. To break out, to take or force out by breaking; as, to break out a pane of glass. To break out a cargo, to unstow a cargo, so as to unload it easily. To break through. (a) To make an opening through, as, as by violence or the force of gravity; to pass violently through; as, to break through the enemy's lines; to break through the ice. (b) To disregard; as, to break through the ceremony. To break up. (a) To separate into parts; to plow (new or fallow ground). "Break up this capon." --Shak. "Break up your fallow ground." --Jer. iv. 3. (b) To dissolve; to put an end to. "Break up the court." --Shak. To break (one) all up, to unsettle or disconcert completely; to upset. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster] Note: With an immediate object: [1913 Webster] To break the back. (a) To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable totally. (b) To get through the worst part of; as, to break the back of a difficult undertaking. To break bulk, to destroy the entirety of a load by removing a portion of it; to begin to unload; also, to transfer in detail, as from boats to cars. To break a code to discover a method to convert coded messages into the original understandable text. To break cover, to burst forth from a protecting concealment, as game when hunted. To break a deer or To break a stag, to cut it up and apportion the parts among those entitled to a share. To break fast, to partake of food after abstinence. See Breakfast. To break ground. (a) To open the earth as for planting; to commence excavation, as for building, siege operations, and the like; as, to break ground for a foundation, a canal, or a railroad. (b) Fig.: To begin to execute any plan. (c) (Naut.) To release the anchor from the bottom. To break the heart, to crush or overwhelm (one) with grief. To break a house (Law), to remove or set aside with violence and a felonious intent any part of a house or of the fastenings provided to secure it. To break the ice, to get through first difficulties; to overcome obstacles and make a beginning; to introduce a subject. To break jail, to escape from confinement in jail, usually by forcible means. To break a jest, to utter a jest. "Patroclus . . . the livelong day breaks scurril jests." --Shak. To break joints, to lay or arrange bricks, shingles, etc., so that the joints in one course shall not coincide with those in the preceding course. To break a lance, to engage in a tilt or contest. To break the neck, to dislocate the joints of the neck. To break no squares, to create no trouble. [Obs.] To break a path, road, etc., to open a way through obstacles by force or labor. To break upon a wheel, to execute or torture, as a criminal by stretching him upon a wheel, and breaking his limbs with an iron bar; -- a mode of punishment formerly employed in some countries. To break wind, to give vent to wind from the anus. [1913 Webster] Syn: To dispart; rend; tear; shatter; batter; violate; infringe; demolish; destroy; burst; dislocate. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Broken \Bro"ken\ (br[=o]"k'n), a. [From Break, v. t.] 1. Separated into parts or pieces by violence; divided into fragments; as, a broken chain or rope; a broken dish. [1913 Webster] 2. Disconnected; not continuous; also, rough; uneven; as, a broken surface. [1913 Webster] 3. Fractured; cracked; disunited; sundered; strained; apart; as, a broken reed; broken friendship. [1913 Webster] 4. Made infirm or weak, by disease, age, or hardships. [1913 Webster] The one being who remembered him as he been before his mind was broken. --G. Eliot. [1913 Webster] The broken soldier, kindly bade to stay, Sat by his fire, and talked the night away. --Goldsmith. [1913 Webster] 5. Subdued; humbled; contrite. [1913 Webster] The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. --Ps. li. 17. [1913 Webster] 6. Subjugated; trained for use, as a horse. [1913 Webster] 7. Crushed and ruined as by something that destroys hope; blighted. "Her broken love and life." --G. Eliot. [1913 Webster] 8. Not carried into effect; not adhered to; violated; as, a broken promise, vow, or contract; a broken law. [1913 Webster] 9. Ruined financially; incapable of redeeming promises made, or of paying debts incurred; as, a broken bank; a broken tradesman. [1913 Webster] 10. Imperfectly spoken, as by a foreigner; as, broken English; imperfectly spoken on account of emotion; as, to say a few broken words at parting. [1913 Webster] Amidst the broken words and loud weeping of those grave senators. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster] Broken ground. (a) (Mil.) Rough or uneven ground; as, the troops were retarded in their advance by broken ground. (b) Ground recently opened with the plow. Broken line (Geom.), the straight lines which join a number of given points taken in some specified order. Broken meat, fragments of meat or other food. Broken number, a fraction. Broken weather, unsettled weather. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

broken adj 1: physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split; "a broken mirror"; "a broken tooth"; "a broken leg"; "his neck is broken" [ant: unbroken] 2: not continuous in space, time, or sequence or varying abruptly; "broken lines of defense"; "a broken cable transmission"; "broken sleep"; "tear off the stub above the broken line"; "a broken note"; "broken sobs" [ant: unbroken] 3: subdued or brought low in condition or status; "brought low"; "a broken man"; "his broken spirit" [syn: broken, crushed, humbled, humiliated, low] 4: (especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded; "broken (or unkept) promises"; "broken contracts" [syn: broken, unkept] [ant: kept, unbroken] 5: tamed or trained to obey; "a horse broken to the saddle"; "this old nag is well broken in" [syn: broken, broken in] 6: topographically very uneven; "broken terrain"; "rugged ground" [syn: broken, rugged] 7: imperfectly spoken or written; "broken English" 8: thrown into a state of disarray or confusion; "troops fleeing in broken ranks"; "a confused mass of papers on the desk"; "the small disordered room"; "with everything so upset" [syn: broken, confused, disordered, upset] 9: weakened and infirm; "broken health resulting from alcoholism" 10: destroyed financially; "the broken fortunes of the family" [syn: broken, wiped out(p), impoverished] 11: out of working order (`busted' is an informal substitute for `broken'); "a broken washing machine"; "the coke machine is broken"; "the coke machine is busted" [syn: broken, busted] 12: discontinuous; "broken clouds"; "broken sunshine" 13: lacking a part or parts; "a broken set of encyclopedia"
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

268 Moby Thesaurus words for "broken": aggravated, aloof, ausgespielt, bankrupt, beaten, blasted, blighted, broke, broken off, broken-down, brought low, bumpy, burned, burst, busted, capricious, careening, catchy, chastened, checked, chipped, chopped-off, choppy, coarse, coarse-grained, conditioned, conquered, corrugated, cracked, crazed, cross-grained, crushed, cut, damaged, debilitated, decousu, defeated, defied, dejected, demoralized, desolated, destitute, destroyed, desultory, detached, deteriorated, devastated, deviative, disciplined, disconnected, discontinued, discontinuous, discouraged, discrete, disintegrated, disjointed, disjunctive, disobeyed, dispirited, disregarded, disturbed, docile, domesticated, done for, done in, dovelike, down-and-out, eccentric, embittered, enfeebled, episodic, erratic, exacerbated, failed, fallen, felled, finished, fitful, flattened, flickering, fluctuating, fractured, fragmentary, fragmented, gapped, gentle, gone to pot, grainy, granulated, guttering, halting, harmed, haywire, herky-jerky, heteroclite, homespun, horripilant, housebroke, housebroken, humble, humbled, humiliated, hurt, ignored, immethodical, impaired, imperfect, in bits, in disrepair, in pieces, in receivership, in ruins, in shards, incoherent, inconsistent, inconstant, inequal, infringed, injured, inoperative, insolvent, intermittent, intermitting, interrupted, irregular, irremediable, irritated, jagged, jerky, jolty, kaput, lacerated, lamblike, licked, linsey-woolsey, lurching, made to grovel, mangled, mastered, meek, mild, mutilated, nonadherent, nonadhesive, noncoherent, noncohesive, noncontinuous, nonlinear, nonsequential, nonserial, nonuniform, obedient, on the blink, on the fritz, on the rocks, open, out of commission, out of condition, out of gear, out of joint, out of kelter, out of kilter, out of order, out of repair, out of tune, out of whack, overthrown, pacific, parenthetic, patchy, peaceable, pimply, pitted, pocky, potholed, pulverized, put down, quelled, quiet, rambling, rank, ravaged, reduced, rent, ripply, rough, rough-cast, rough-grained, rough-hewn, ruffled, ruined, ruinous, ruptured, rutted, rutty, scalded, scorched, scrappy, shagged, shaggy, shattered, shivered, slashed, slit, smashed, snatchy, spasmatic, spasmic, spasmodic, spastic, splintered, split, spoiled, sporadic, spotty, sprung, staggering, subdued, subjugated, suppressed, suspended, tame, tamed, tenuous, textured, the worse for, torn, trained, transgressed, unadhesive, uncertain, uncoherent, uncohesive, unconnected, undone, unequal, uneven, unjoined, unkempt, unlevel, unmethodical, unmetrical, unpolished, unrefined, unregular, unrhythmical, unsettled, unsmooth, unsteady, unsuccessive, unsystematic, untenacious, ununiform, vanquished, variable, veering, violated, wandering, wasted, wavering, weakened, wimpled, wobbling, wobbly, worse, worse off, worsened, wrecked
The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):

broken adj. 1. Not working according to design (of programs). This is the mainstream sense. 2. Improperly designed, This sense carries a more or less disparaging implication that the designer should have known better, while sense 1 doesn't necessarily assign blame. Which of senses 1 or 2 is intended is conveyed by context and nonverbal cues. 3. Behaving strangely; especially (when used of people) exhibiting extreme depression.
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

broken Not working properly (of programs).