broken
broken — verb
1. the form of break used after have, has, or had, and in passive sentences.
the form of break used after have, has, or had, and in passive sentences.
The branch has broken twice since the heavy snow began.
have broken for completed action
By noon, Mei had broken three cups in the busy cafe.
had broken + object
The back window was broken during the storm last night.
passive: was broken
Hana has never broken a promise to her younger sister.
- has broken
- had broken
- was broken
- broken a promise
Grammar Patterns
have/has/had broken
be broken
Usage Note
This is the verb form, not the adjective senses below. After have, has, or had, English uses broken rather than broke.
Common Mistakes
broken — adjective
1. hurt, in pieces, or missing a part, so it cannot work or be used properly.
hurt, in pieces, or missing a part, so it cannot work or be used properly.
Ravi tried to start the broken scooter outside the train station.
broken + machine
A broken plate lay under the table after the children left.
broken + object in pieces
The clinic replaced the broken step at the front door.
Our TV is broken, so we watched a movie on Mira's phone.
predicative: be broken
One wheel was broken, and the cart would not move.
- broken scooter
- broken plate
- broken step
- broken wheel
Grammar Patterns
broken + machine/object/part
be broken
Usage Note
Common with machines, household objects, body parts, and missing parts. Distinguish from adjective 3: this sense is about damage or failure, not about something stopping and starting.
Common Mistakes
2. so hurt inside by a bad experience that a person struggles to live normally.
so hurt inside by a bad experience that a person struggles to live normally.
After the fire, Leila seemed broken and stopped seeing friends.
be broken after a traumatic event
The long war left many children broken and afraid.
Years of cruel jokes made Yusuf feel broken at school.
feel broken
By spring, the coach looked broken after his son's funeral.
- feel broken
- look broken
- emotionally broken
- left broken
- traumatized
more explicit about a shocking experience
- shattered
stronger and often more dramatic
- crushed
often stresses sadness or defeat
Grammar Patterns
feel broken
look broken
be broken after [event]
Usage Note
Usually predicative, not before a noun. It often describes a person after trauma, loss, abuse, illness, or long hardship.
3. stopping and starting again instead of moving, sounding, or continuing smoothly.
stopping and starting again instead of moving, sounding, or continuing smoothly.
The radio gave a broken signal as the boat moved away.
broken signal
Grandpa woke often after another night of broken sleep.
collocation: broken sleep
Her broken English still helped the lost tourists find the station.
collocation: broken English
A broken white line runs down the middle of this road.
- broken signal
- broken sleep
- broken English
- broken line
- interrupted
the nearest general equivalent
- uneven
often used when the pattern changes irregularly
- patchy
informal, especially for signals or attention
- continuous
without stopping
- smooth
without sudden gaps or changes
Grammar Patterns
broken + line/signal
broken sleep
broken English
Usage Note
Common with nouns naming lines, sleep, journeys, speech, and signals. Distinguish from adjective 1: this sense is about lack of continuity, not physical damage.
Common Mistakes
4. finished or ruined so badly that it cannot continue as before.
finished or ruined so badly that it cannot continue as before.
After the mayor's arrest, the local party looked broken at city hall.
broken institution or group
Nadia grew up in a broken home after her parents split.
collocation: broken home
After the cash went missing, trust was broken among the shop staff.
By winter, Aiko and Kenji's marriage felt broken beyond repair.
collocation: broken marriage
- broken home
- broken marriage
- broken trust
- broken system
Grammar Patterns
broken + home/marriage
trust is broken
look broken
Usage Note
Often used for families, marriages, trust, political groups, and other structures that no longer hold together. Distinguish from adjective 5: here the whole relationship or system has collapsed, not just one promise or rule.
5. not followed in the way a law, rule, agreement, or promise should be.
not followed in the way a law, rule, agreement, or promise should be.
The judge punished the company for its broken safety rules.
broken + rule/law
A broken promise hurt Omar more than the lost money.
collocation: broken promise
Neighbors complained after another broken contract delayed the repairs.
Parents protested over the school's broken agreement on lunch prices.
- broken promise
- broken rule
- broken contract
- broken agreement
- violated
common with laws, rules, and rights
- unkept
used especially for promises, but less common
- dishonored
more formal, especially for agreements or obligations
Grammar Patterns
broken + promise/rule/law
broken contract
broken agreement
Usage Note
Object is usually a promise, law, rule, contract, or agreement. Distinguish from adjective 4: this sense focuses on failure to obey or keep a specific commitment.
Common Mistakes
6. trained to stay calm with people, so a horse is safe for riding or pulling a veh
trained to stay calm with people, so a horse is safe for riding or pulling a vehicle.
The guide chose a broken horse for the nervous beginner.
broken horse
Farmers need broken horses before the heavy carts go out.
By autumn, the young mare was broken and easy to ride.
be broken to ride
The children watched the trainer lead two broken ponies home.
- broken horse
- broken mare
- broken ponies
- easy to ride
Grammar Patterns
broken horse
broken mare
be broken to ride
Usage Note
Used almost only before horse, mare, pony, or similar nouns. It is less common in everyday modern English than trained or tamed.
7. uneven and rough on top, with small rises, holes, or hard edges.
uneven and rough on top, with small rises, holes, or hard edges.
We walked slowly over the broken ground after the dry summer.
broken ground
Rainwater filled the broken surface of the old tennis court.
The bicycle shook on the broken road near the farm.
broken road
Builders covered the broken stone path with fresh sand.
- broken ground
- broken road
- broken surface
- broken path
Grammar Patterns
broken ground
broken road
broken surface
Usage Note
Usually before nouns like ground, road, path, stone, or surface. Distinguish from adjective 3: this sense describes physical unevenness, not interruption in time or sequence.
like a broken record
idiomRepeating the same thing many times in a way that bothers other people.
My dad sounds like a broken record when he talks about safety.
Is your teacher like a broken record with the same homework rules?
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: adjective/1
Broken is the everyday word when something is damaged so badly that it does not work, or when it has split and cannot be used normally. Damaged is broader: a bag, wall, or plant can be damaged without being completely unusable. Cracked focuses on a line or split, often with only part of the object affected. Faulty is most common for machines, devices, or systems that have a problem, even if nothing is visibly split. Shattered is much stronger and suggests violent breaking into many pieces. A phone with a dead screen is broken or faulty; a cup with one thin line is cracked; a vase on the floor is shattered.
Etymology
Broken comes from Old English gebrocen, the past participle of brecan, which meant to split or burst apart. That old verb belongs to the Germanic family behind modern English break. Over time, English kept broken not only as a verb form, but also as an adjective for damaged things, interrupted activity, failed relationships, and other states where something no longer works as a whole.