5 definitions found
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Break \Break\, v. t. [imp. {broke}, (Obs. {Brake}); p. p.
{Broken}, (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["a]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.
2. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as to break a
package of goods.
3. To lay open as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or
communicate.
Katharine break thy mind to me --Shak.
4. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise.
Out out hyena! these are thy wonted arts . . . To
break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray. --Milton
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.
Go release them Ariel; My charms I'll break, their
senses I'll restore. --Shak.
6. To destroy the completeness of to remove a part from as
to break a set
7. To destroy the arrangement of to throw into disorder; to
pierce; as the cavalry were not able to break the British
squares.
8. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments.
The victim broke in pieces the musical instruments
with which he had solaced the hours of captivity.
--Prescott.
9. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller
denomination; as to break a five dollar bill.
10. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of as
to break flax.
11. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind.
An old man, broken with the storms of state.
--Shak.
12. To diminish the force of to lessen the shock of as a
fall or blow.
I'll rather leap down first and break your fall.
--Dryden.
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.
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.
Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute?
--Shak.
15. To destroy the financial credit of to make bankrupt; to
ruin.
With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks,
Attracts all fees, and little lawyers breaks.
--Dryden.
16. To destroy the official character and standing of to
cashier; to dismiss.
I see a great officer broken. --Swift.
Note: With prepositions or adverbs:
{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.]
Note: With an immediate object:
{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 cover}, to burst forth from a protecting
concealment, as game when hunted.
{To break a deer} or {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.
Syn: To dispart; rend; tear; shatter; batter; violate;
infringe; demolish; destroy; burst; dislocate.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
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.
2. Disconnected; not continuous; also rough; uneven; as a
broken surface.
3. Fractured; cracked; disunited; sundered; strained; apart;
as a broken reed; broken friendship.
4. Made infirm or weak, by disease, age, or hardships.
The one being who remembered him as he been before
his mind was broken. --G. Eliot.
The broken soldier, kindly bade to stay, Sat by his
fire, and talked the night away --Goldsmith.
5. Subdued; humbled; contrite.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. --Ps. li
17.
6. Subjugated; trained for use as a horse.
7. Crushed and ruined as by something that destroys hope;
blighted. ``Her broken love and life.'' --G. Eliot.
8. Not carried into effect; not adhered to violated; as a
broken promise, vow, or contract; a broken law.
9. Ruined financially; incapable of redeeming promises made
or of paying debts incurred; as a broken bank; a broken
tradesman.
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.
Amidst the broken words and loud weeping of those
grave senators. --Macaulay.
{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.
From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]:
broken
adj 1: physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or
split; or legally or emotionally destroyed; "a broken
mirror"; "a broken tooth"; "a broken leg"; "his neck
is broken"; "children from broken homes"; "a broken
marriage"; "a broken heart" [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: {crushed},
{humbled}, {humiliated}, {low}]
4: (especially of promises or contracts) having been violated
or disregarded; "broken (or unkept) promises"; "broken
contracts" [syn: {unkept}] [ant: {unbroken}]
5: tamed or trained to obey; "a horse broken to the saddle";
"this old nag is well broken in" [syn: {broken in}]
6: topographically very uneven; "broken terrain"; "rugged
ground" [syn: {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: {confused}, {disordered}, {upset}]
9: weakened and infirm; "broken health resulting from
alcoholism"
10: destroyed financially; "the broken fortunes of the family"
[syn: {wiped out(p)}, {impoverished}]
11: out of working order "a broken washing machine"; "the coke
machine is broken"; (`busted' is an informal substitute
for `broken' as in "the coke machine is busted") [syn: {busted}]
12: (meteorology) discontinuous; "broken clouds"; "broken
sunshine"
13: lacking a part or parts "a broken set of encyclopedia"
From Jargon File (4.2.3, 23 NOV 2000) [jargon]:
broken adj 1. Not working properly (of programs). 2.
Behaving strangely; especially (when used of people) exhibiting extreme
depression.
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (13 Mar 01) [foldoc]:
broken
Not working properly (of programs).
more about broken
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