broke vs broken :

broke vs broken

broke or broken

If you are broke, you are out of money. If something is broken, it needs to be fixed or replaced. 

“I would fix my broken bicycle, but I’m broke!”

Broken is also the past participle of break: 

“I’m done with that girl. She has broken my heart for the last time!”


Facebook Twitter Google +


  Do you make these 10 mistakes?
Definitions
  broke
  • v  terminate
  • v  become separated into pieces or fragments
    The figurine broke
  • v  render inoperable or ineffective
    You broke the alarm clock when you took it apart!
  • v  ruin completely
  • v  destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments
    He broke the glass plate
    She broke the match
  • v  act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
  • v  move away or escape suddenly
    The horses broke from the stable
    Three inmates broke jail
  • v  scatter or part
    The clouds broke after the heavy downpour
  • v  force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up
  • v  prevent completion
  • v  enter someone's (virtual or real) 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!
    who broke into my account last night?
  • v  make submissive, obedient, or useful
    I broke in the new intern
  • v  fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns
  • v  surpass in excellence
  • v  make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret
    he broke the news to her
  • v  come into being
    light broke over the horizon
    Voices broke in the air
  • v  stop operating or functioning
    The bus we travelled in broke down on the way to town
    The coffee maker broke
  • v  interrupt a continued activity
    She had broken with the traditional patterns
  • v  make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing
    The ranks broke
  • v  curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves
    The surf broke
  • v  lessen in force or effect
  • v  be broken in
  • v  come to an end
    The heat wave finally broke yesterday
  • v  vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity
    The flat plain was broken by tall mesas
  • v  cause to give up a habit
    She finally broke herself of smoking cigarettes
  • v  give up
  • v  come forth or begin from a state of latency
    The first winter storm broke over New York
  • v  happen or take place
  • v  cause the failure or ruin of
    His peccadilloes finally broke his marriage
  • v  invalidate by judicial action
    The will was broken
  • v  discontinue an association or relation; go different ways
    The business partners broke over a tax question
  • v  assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
    He was broken down to Sergeant
  • v  reduce to bankruptcy
  • v  change directions suddenly
  • v  emerge from the surface of a body of water
    The whales broke
  • v  break down, literally or metaphorically
    The dam broke
  • v  do a break dance
  • v  exchange for smaller units of money
  • v  destroy the completeness of a set of related items
  • v  make the opening shot that scatters the balls
  • v  separate from a clinch, in boxing
    The referee broke the boxers
  • v  go to pieces
    The lawn mower finally broke
  • v  break a piece from a whole
  • v  become punctured or penetrated
    The skin broke
  • v  pierce or penetrate
    The blade broke her skin
  • v  be released or become known; of news
    News of her death broke in the morning
  • v  cease an action temporarily
  • v  interrupt the flow of current in
  • v  undergo breaking
    The simple vowels broke in many Germanic languages
  • v  find a flaw in
  • v  find the solution or key to
  • v  change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another
    Her voice broke to a whisper when she started to talk about her children
  • v  happen
  • v  become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
  • v  crack; of the male voice in puberty
  • v  fall sharply
    stock prices broke
  • v  fracture a bone of
    I broke my foot while playing hockey
  • v  diminish or discontinue abruptly
    The patient's fever broke last night
  • v  weaken or destroy in spirit or body
    His resistance was broken
    a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death
  • s  lacking funds
  broken
  • v  terminate
  • v  become separated into pieces or fragments
  • v  render inoperable or ineffective
  • v  ruin completely
  • v  destroy the integrity of; usually by force; cause to separate into pieces or fragments
  • v  act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises
  • v  move away or escape suddenly
  • v  scatter or part
  • v  force out or release suddenly and often violently something pent up
  • v  prevent completion
  • v  enter someone's (virtual or real) property in an unauthorized manner, usually with the intent to steal or commit a violent act
  • v  make submissive, obedient, or useful
  • v  fail to agree with; be in violation of; as of rules or patterns
  • v  surpass in excellence
  • v  make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret
  • v  come into being
  • v  stop operating or functioning
  • v  interrupt a continued activity
    She had broken with the traditional patterns
  • v  make a rupture in the ranks of the enemy or one's own by quitting or fleeing
  • v  curl over and fall apart in surf or foam, of waves
  • v  lessen in force or effect
  • v  be broken in
  • v  come to an end
  • v  vary or interrupt a uniformity or continuity
    The flat plain was broken by tall mesas
  • v  cause to give up a habit
  • v  give up
  • v  come forth or begin from a state of latency
  • v  happen or take place
  • v  cause the failure or ruin of
  • v  invalidate by judicial action
    The will was broken
  • v  discontinue an association or relation; go different ways
  • v  assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
    He was broken down to Sergeant
  • v  reduce to bankruptcy
  • v  change directions suddenly
  • v  emerge from the surface of a body of water
  • v  break down, literally or metaphorically
  • v  do a break dance
  • v  exchange for smaller units of money
  • v  destroy the completeness of a set of related items
  • v  make the opening shot that scatters the balls
  • v  separate from a clinch, in boxing
  • v  go to pieces
  • v  break a piece from a whole
  • v  become punctured or penetrated
  • v  pierce or penetrate
  • v  be released or become known; of news
  • v  cease an action temporarily
  • v  interrupt the flow of current in
  • v  undergo breaking
  • v  find a flaw in
  • v  find the solution or key to
  • v  change suddenly from one tone quality or register to another
  • v  happen
  • v  become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
  • v  crack; of the male voice in puberty
  • v  fall sharply
  • v  fracture a bone of
  • v  diminish or discontinue abruptly
  • v  weaken or destroy in spirit or body
    His resistance was broken
    a man broken by the terrible experience of near-death
  • a  physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
    a broken mirror
    a broken tooth
    a broken leg
    his neck is broken
  • a  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
  • s  subdued or brought low in condition or status
    a broken man
    his broken spirit
  • a  (especially of promises or contracts) having been violated or disregarded
    broken (or unkept) promises
    broken contracts
  • s  tamed or trained to obey
    a horse broken to the saddle
    this old nag is well broken in
  • s  topographically very uneven
    broken terrain
  • s  imperfectly spoken or written
    broken English
  • s  thrown into a state of disarray or confusion
    troops fleeing in broken ranks
  • s  weakened and infirm
    broken health resulting from alcoholism
  • s  destroyed financially
    the broken fortunes of the family
  • s  out of working order (`busted' is an informal substitute for `broken')
    a broken washing machine
    the coke machine is broken
  • s  discontinuous
    broken clouds
    broken sunshine
  • s  lacking a part or parts
    a broken set of encyclopedia
News & Articles
  broke
  • 'We’re Not Broke' film comes from Sundance to Lewes June 27
    Delaware Americans for Democratic Action is hosting a free community film screening of the film "We’re Not Broke,"which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 27, in the Upper Screening Room at Movies at Midway. The Christian Science Monitor reported, "'We're Not Broke' ranks No. 1 of the top five documentary films getting buzz at Sundance." Noah Nelson of The ...
    June 22, 2013 - Cape Gazette
  • Mandela's ambulance broke down, leaving him stranded for 40 minutes
    PRETORIA, South Africa, June 22 (UPI) -- An ambulance taking Nelson Mandela to a hospital broke down, leaving the former South African president stranded for about 40 minutes, officials confirmed.
    June 22, 2013 - UPI
  • Young, Broke and Single? If so, Oklahoma City might be the place for you
    If you’re young, broke and single, Oklahoma City might be the place for you. MoneyUnder30.com has compiled a list of the “Best Cities in America to be Young, Broke and Single” and lists Oklahoma city at No. 10. “Too often, this neck of the woods only makes headlines for its twisters and NBA franchise. Still, the University of Oklahoma rests just a stone’s throw away in Norman. And if you love ...
    June 21, 2013 - The Oklahoman
  broken