verb

bork

bawk

Bork (verb) means Informal: to break, damage, or misconfigure something, especially a computer or piece of software. Example: “The update completely borked my laptop's wifi settings.”

verb

Informal: to break, damage, or misconfigure something, especially a computer or piece of software.

"The update completely borked my laptop's wifi settings."

"Don't touch that file, or you'll bork the whole system."

To publicly attack and discredit a person's character in order to block their appointment or nomination.

"Critics tried to bork the nominee with a barrage of old quotes taken out of context."

How to use bork

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo mess something up (tech slang), or to tank someone's nomination through a hostile public campaign.

When to use it

Very informal in both senses — common in tech circles and political commentary, not formal writing.

Common pairings

bork the system get borked bork a nomination

Word forms

borked past tense, borked past tense, borken past tense, borked past tense, borked past tense, borked past tense, borks plural, borks plural, borks singular, borks singular, borks singular, borks singular, borks singular

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Can you complete this real example?

The update completely _____ my laptop's wifi settings.

Etymology

The "attack a nominee" sense comes directly from Robert Bork, whose 1987 U.S. Supreme Court nomination was defeated after a fierce public campaign against him; the "break/damage" sense (mainly used about computers) developed later as unrelated slang.

· First attested 1987

Class of 1987 bork joined the language around 1987.

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Rhymes for bork

work cork fork pork dork Mork stork spork

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Frequently asked questions

What does “bork” mean?

The word “bork” means informal: to break, damage, or misconfigure something, especially a computer or piece of software. In plain terms, to mess something up (tech slang), or to tank someone's nomination through a hostile public campaign.

How do you pronounce “bork”?

“Bork” is pronounced bawk (/boɹk/ in IPA).

How do you use “bork” in a sentence?

Here is “bork” used in a sentence: “The update completely borked my laptop's wifi settings.”

What part of speech is “bork”?

“Bork” is a verb.

Where does the word “bork” come from?

The word “bork” dates back to around 1987.

How many meanings does “bork” have?

“Bork” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: informal: to break, damage, or misconfigure something, especially a computer or piece of software.