bork

¹

[ bawrk ]

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to malfunction, especially computer hardware or software: The fonts are borked when the site is accessed from a mobile device.

   Installing updates in the wrong order will bork all of your saved games.

   The fonts are borked when the site is accessed from a mobile device.

2. to mess up, ruin, break, botch, etc.: Of course I borked my leg on the first day of our ski trip.

   He said all of the wrong things during his interview and completely borked his chances of being invited back.

   Of course I borked my leg on the first day of our ski trip.

bork

²

[ bawrk ]

verb (used with object)

1. to attack (a candidate or public figure) systematically, especially in the media.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bork¹

First recorded in 2000–05; perhaps an alteration of break ( def ), influenced by bork ²( def )

Origin of bork²

An Americanism dating back to 1988; after Judge Robert H. Bork, whose appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court was blocked in 1987 after an extensive media campaign by his opponents

Example Sentences

Bork’s idea was deceptively simple and deeply appealing to those of a conservative bent.

From Slate

You write that "Most stories about originalism’s rise begin with Robert Bork," but you start much earlier than that, with Brown v.

From Salon

President Reagan appeared at Concerned Women of America’s 1987 convention, as Judge Bork’s nomination was facing fierce liberal opposition.

From New York Times

He was greeted by signs stating, “All Ladies Want Bork.”

From New York Times

No matter that this contradicts an earlier ruling by Robert Bork, a conservative hero in Federalist Society circles.

From Slate