Word family noun break outbreak breakage adjective breakable ≠ unbreakable broken ≠ unbroken verb break
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbrokenbro‧ken1 /ˈbrəʊkən $ ˈbroʊ/ verb x-refthe past participle of breakExamples from the Corpus
broken• But your partner has just broken a leg and is recovering at home.• The shed windows were broken and stood out black and jagged by the reflected light of the moon.• Vacuum cleaners were broken before they made the first one.• Of course, my friend has already broken his resolution.• His neck was broken when Sigsworth hit him with a fire extinguisher.• Only at this point can we begin healing ourselves and our broken world.• Simon had broken yesterday's confidences?ldoce_063_fbrokenbroken2 ●●● S3 W2 adjective 1 
PIECE OF EQUIPMENTBROKENpiece of equipment not working properly The CD player’s broken again. Do you know how the phone got broken (=became broken)?2 OBJECTBROKENobject in small pieces because it has been hit, dropped etc Mind the broken glass. Wrap it up well so it doesn’t get broken (=become broken) in the mail.3 BONEBROKENbone cracked because you have had an accident a badly broken leg Gibbs had an X-ray, which revealed no broken bones.4 INTERRUPTEDLINEnot continuous interrupted and not continuous a broken white line a long noisy night of broken sleep5 PERSONWEAKperson extremely weak mentally or physically because you have suffered a lot He returned from the war a broken man. 6 → broken English/French etc7 → broken home8 → broken marriage9 → a broken heart10 → a broken societyTHESAURUSbroken if something is broken, it does not work properlyI think my watch is broken.The camera got broken when we were on holiday.The birds had gotten into the cabin through a broken window.In the corner of the room were a broken chair and a rickety old desk.out of order [not before noun] if a machine, especially one used by the public, is out of order, it is not working for a temporary periodEvery phone I tried was out of order.The toilets were all out of order.down [not before noun] if a computer system is down, it is not workingThe computer system was down all afternoon, so we went home. | go down (=stop working)The network went down at 11:00 and we lost the whole morning’s work.on the blink (also on the fritz American English) [not before noun] informal if a piece of electrical equipment is on the blink, it sometimes works and sometimes does notMy TV’s on the blink again. | go on the blink/fritzThe car’s air conditioning went on the fritz just as we reached Dallas.there’s something wrong with something used when saying that a car, machine etc does not work properly and you do not know whyThere’s something wrong with my car; I think it might be the battery.There was something wrong with the photocopier, so we called in the service company. | have something wrong with itIf the VCR has something wrong with it, take it back to the store.something has had it informal used when saying that a car, machine etc is completely broken and cannot be repairedI’m afraid the bike’s had it. Examples from the Corpus
broken• "What's the time?" "I don't know, my watch is broken."• This suitcase is no good - the handle's broken.• I think my ankle's broken.• One little boy had a broken arm.• broken beer bottles• The accident left her with three broken bones in her wrist.• In the corner of the room were a broken chair and a rickety old desk.• He grew up oppressed by the sense of belonging to a broken culture, deprived of his inheritance.• a broken dishwasher• The two students, one Chinese, the other Greek, communicated in broken English.• Bits of broken glass sparkled in the sunlight.• The floor was covered in broken glass.• One side of his immaculate jacket was soaked through and spiked with broken glass.• They're covered in broken glass.• I think the doorbell must be broken - I didn't hear anything.• By 1947, Fred was a broken man addicted to alcohol and the treble chance.• Gary returned from the war a broken man.• We had months of broken sleep before the baby finally slept through the night.• The camera was broken, so none of my pictures turned out.• Half the space is taken up by a picture of a violin - ah yes, but one with a broken string.• Tossed between them like a broken toy fit only for the dustbin.• One of them was a doctor, a large, unhealthy looking specimen with a huge warty nose covered in broken veins.• The birds had gotten into the cabin through a broken window.got broken• It got broken when I dropped everything last night.get broken• How did the lawn mower get broken?• If you leave your toys on the floor, they'll get broken.• When her grandchildren visit, she puts away anything she doesn't want to get broken.• Pack the cookies carefully so they won't get broken in the mail.• It holds its shape very well since it doesn't get broken springs, lumps or bumps.• It got broken when I dropped everything last night.• A few of the cups got broken while we were moving house. 