1
: violently separated into parts : shattered
broken windows
2
: damaged or altered by or as if by breaking (see break entry 1): such as
a
: having undergone or been subjected to fracture
a broken leg
b
: not working properly
a broken camera
c
of land surfaces
: being irregular, interrupted, or full of obstacles
a long broken ridge
d
: violated by transgression : not kept or honored
a broken promise
e
: discontinuous, interrupted
a broken sleep
f
: disrupted by change
g
of a tulip flower
: having an irregular, streaked, or blotched pattern especially from virus infection
3
4
a
: cut off : disconnected
spoke a few broken words
b
: imperfectly spoken or written
broken English
5
: not complete or full
a broken bale of hay
6
: disunited by divorce, separation, or desertion of one parent
children from broken homes
a broken family
brokenly
adverb
Examples of broken in a Sentence
The street was covered with broken glass.
a broken vase that could not be repaired
Recent Examples on the Web
Junk can fall in the road and broken vehicles are harder and less safe to operate.
—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
28 June 2026
The two sides suffered broken relations for years.
—
ABC News,
27 June 2026
Los Angeles property owners voted against an increase in an assessment for maintaining streetlights that would have collected an additional $80 million a year, as the city faces a backlog of broken streetlights due to stagnant funding and a rise in vandalism.
—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2026
Dramatic footage from Beijing posted on social media showed debris falling from the 109-story CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, as well as a tail section of the plane and a broken window of a taxicab on the ground.
—
Steven Jiang,
CNN Money,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for broken
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show current usage.
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Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
28 June 2026
The two sides suffered broken relations for years.
—
ABC News,
27 June 2026
Los Angeles property owners voted against an increase in an assessment for maintaining streetlights that would have collected an additional $80 million a year, as the city faces a backlog of broken streetlights due to stagnant funding and a rise in vandalism.
—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
26 June 2026
Dramatic footage from Beijing posted on social media showed debris falling from the 109-story CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun, as well as a tail section of the plane and a broken window of a taxicab on the ground.
—
Steven Jiang,
CNN Money,
26 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for broken
Cite this Entry
“Broken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/broken. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
broken
adjective
bro·ken
ˈbrō-kən 
1
: shattered into pieces
broken glass
2
a
: rough entry 1 sense 1a, uneven
broken terrain
b
: having gaps or breaks
a broken line
3
: not kept
a broken promise
4
: subdued completely
a broken spirit
5
: imperfectly spoken
broken English
6
: having undergone fracture
a broken leg
7
: having one parent missing (as because of divorce)
children from broken homes
brokenly
adverb
Medical Definition
broken
adjective
bro·ken
ˈbrō-kən
: having undergone or been subjected to fracture
a broken leg
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