bro·ken /ˈbrokən/
  (a.)壞掉的,打破的,斷掉的(vbl.)break的過去分詞
  broken
  間斷
  Break v. t. [imp. broke (Obs. Brake); p. p. Broken (Obs. Broke); p. pr. & vb. n. Breaking.]
  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.
  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.”
     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 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.
  Syn: -- To dispart; rend; tear; shatter; batter; violate; infringe; demolish; destroy; burst; dislocate.
  Bro·ken a.
  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.”
  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.
  ◄ ►
  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 (`busted' is an informal substitute for
           `broken'); "a broken washing machine"; "the coke machine
           is broken"; "the coke machine is busted" [syn: busted]
       12: discontinuous; "broken clouds"; "broken sunshine"
       13: lacking a part or parts; "a broken set of encyclopedia"
  break
       n 1: some abrupt occurrence that interrupts; "the telephone is an
            annoying interruption"; "there was a break in the action
            when a player was hurt" [syn: interruption]
       2: an unexpected piece of good luck; "he finally got his big
          break" [syn: good luck, happy chance]
       3: (geology) a crack in the earth's crust resulting from the
          displacement of one side with respect to the other; "they
          built it right over a geological fault" [syn: fault, geological
          fault, shift, fracture]
       4: a personal or social separation (as between opposing
          factions); "they hoped to avoid a break in relations"
          [syn: rupture, breach, severance, rift, falling
          out]
       5: a pause from doing something (as work); "we took a 10-minute
          break"; "he took time out to recuperate" [syn: respite,
          recess, time out]
       6: the act of breaking something; "the breakage was
          unavoidable" [syn: breakage, breaking]
       7: a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation
          of something [syn: pause, intermission, interruption,
           suspension]
       8: breaking of hard tissue such as bone; "it was a nasty
          fracture"; "the break seems to have been caused by a fall"
          [syn: fracture]
       9: the occurrence of breaking; "the break in the dam threatened
          the valley"
       10: the opening shot that scatters the balls in billiards or
           pool
       11: (tennis) a score consisting of winning a game when your
           opponent was serving; "he was up two breaks in the second
           set" [syn: break of serve]
       12: an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity; "it was
           presented without commercial breaks" [syn: interruption,
            disruption, gap]
       13: a sudden dash; "he made a break for the open door"
       14: any frame in which a bowler fails to make a strike or spare;
           "the break in the eighth frame cost him the match" [syn:
           open frame]
       15: an escape from jail; "the breakout was carefully planned"
           [syn: breakout, jailbreak, gaolbreak, prisonbreak,
            prison-breaking]
       v 1: terminate; "She interrupted her pregnancy"; "break a lucky
            streak"; "break the cycle of poverty" [syn: interrupt]
       2: become separated into pieces or fragments; "The figurine
          broke"; "The freshly baked loaf fell apart" [syn: separate,
           split up, fall apart, come apart]
       3: destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to
          separate into pieces or fragments; "He broke the glass
          plate"; "She broke the match"
       4: render inoperable or ineffective; "You broke the alarm clock
          when you took it apart!"
       5: ruin completely; "He busted my radio!" [syn: bust] [ant: repair]
       6: act in disregard of laws and rules; "offend all laws of
          humanity"; "violate the basic laws or human civilization";
          "break a law" [syn: transgress, offend, infract, violate,
           go against, breach]
       7: move away or escape suddenly; "The horses broke from the
          stable"; "Three inmates broke jail"; "Nobody can break
          out--this prison is high security" [syn: break out, break
          away]
       8: scatter or part; "The clouds broke after the heavy downpour"
       9: force out or release suddenly and often violently something
          pent up; "break into tears"; "erupt in anger" [syn: burst,
           erupt]
       10: prevent completion; "stop the project"; "break off the
           negociations" [syn: break off, discontinue, stop]
       11: enter someone's property in an unauthorized manner, usually
           with the intent to steal or commit a violent act;
           "Someone broke in while I was on vacation"; "They broke
           into my car and stole my radio!" [syn: break in]
       12: make submissive, obedient, or useful; "The horse was tough
           to break"; "I broke in the new intern" [syn: break in]
       13: fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or
           patterns; "This sentence violates the rules of syntax"
           [syn: violate, go against] [ant: conform to]
       14: surpass in excellence; "She bettered her own record"; "break
           a record" [syn: better]
       15: make known to the public information that was previously
           known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a
           secret; "The auction house would not disclose the price
           at which the van Gogh had sold"; "The actress won't
           reveal how old she is"; "bring out the truth"; "he broke
           the news to her" [syn: disclose, let on, bring out,
            reveal, discover, expose, divulge, impart, give
           away, let out]
       16: come into being; "light broke over the horizon"; "Voices
           broke in the air"
       17: stop operating or functioning; "The engine finally went";
           "The car died on the road"; "The bus we travelled in
           broke down on the way to town"; "The coffee maker broke";
           "The engine failed on the way to town"; "her eyesight
           went after the accident" [syn: fail, go bad, give
           way, die, give out, conk out, go, break down]
       18: interrupt a continued activity; "She had broken with the
           traditional patterns" [syn: break away]
       19: make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by
           quitting or fleeing; "The ranks broke"
       20: curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves; "The
           surf broke"
       21: lessen in force or effect; "soften a shock"; "break a fall"
           [syn: dampen, damp, soften, weaken]
       22: be broken in; "If the new teacher won't break, we'll add
           some stress"
       23: come to an end; "The heat wave finally broke yesterday"
       24: vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity; "The flat
           plain was broken by tall mesas"
       25: cause to give up a habit; "She finally broke herself of
           smoking cigarettes"
       26: give up; "break cigarette smoking"
       27: come forth or begin from a state of latency; "The first
           winter storm broke over New York"
       28: happen or take place; "Things have been breaking pretty well
           for us in the past few months"
       29: cause the failure or ruin of; "His peccadilloes finally
           broke his marriage"; "This play will either make or break
           the playwright" [ant: make]
       30: invalidate by judicial action; "The will was broken"
       31: discontinue an association or relation; go different ways;
           "The business partners broke over a tax question"; "The
           couple separated after 25 years of marriage"; "My friend
           and I split up" [syn: separate, part, split up, split,
            break up]
       32: assign to a lower position; reduce in rank; "She was demoted
           because she always speaks up"; "He was broken down to
           Sargeant" [syn: demote, bump, relegate, kick
           downstairs] [ant: promote]
       33: reduce to bankruptcy; "My daughter's fancy wedding is going
           to break me!"; "The slump in the financial markets
           smashed him" [syn: bankrupt, ruin, smash]
       34: change directions suddenly
       35: emerge from the surface of a body of water; "The whales
           broke"
       36: break down, literally or metaphorically; "The wall
           collapsed"; "The business collapsed"; "The dam broke";
           "The roof collapsed"; "The wall gave in"; "The roof
           finally gave under the weight of the ice" [syn: collapse,
            fall in, cave in, give, give way, founder]
       37: do a break dance; "Kids were break-dancing at the street
           corner" [syn: break dance, break-dance]
       38: exchange for smaller units of money; "I had to break a $100
           bill just to buy the candy"
       39: destroy the completeness of a set of related items; "The
           book dealer would not break the set" [syn: break up]
       40: make the opening shot that scatters the balls
       41: separate from a clinch, in boxing; "The referee broke the
           boxers"
       42: go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears
           wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"
           [syn: wear, wear out, bust, fall apart]
       43: break a piece from a whole; "break a branch from a tree"
           [syn: break off, snap off]
       44: become punctured or penetrated; "The skin broke"
       45: pierce or penetrate; "The blade broke her skin"
       46: be released or become known; of news; "News of her death
           broke in the morning" [syn: get out, get around]
       47: cease an action temporarily; "We pause for station
           identification"; "let's break for lunch" [syn: pause, intermit]
       48: interrupt the flow of current in; "break a circuit"
       49: undergo breaking; "The simple vowels broke in many Germanic
           languages"
       50: find a flaw in; "break an alibi"; "break down a proof"
       51: find the solution or key to; "break the code"
       52: change suddenly from one tone quality or register to
           another; "Her voice broke to a whisper when she started
           to talk about her children"
       53: happen; "Report the news as it develops"; "These political
           movements recrudesce from time to time" [syn: recrudesce,
            develop]
       54: become fractured; break or crack on the surface only; "The
           glass cracked when it was heated" [syn: crack, check]
       55: of the male voice in puberty; "his voice is breaking--he
           should no longer sing in the choir"
       56: fall sharply; "stock prices broke"
       57: fracture a bone of; "I broke my foot while playing hockey"
           [syn: fracture]
       58: diminish or discontinue abruptly; "The patient's fever broke
           last night"
       59: weaken or destroy in spirit or body; "His resistance was
           broken"; "a man broken by the terrible experience of
           near-death"
       [also: broken, broke]