kaput
kaput
Pronunciation
The word kaput (often spelled kaputt) has a fascinating history, originating from the German word for "broken" or "destroyed," which itself traces back to a French card game term (capot) meaning to be "without tricks."
IPA Phonetic Spelling
/kəˈpʊt/ (standard) or /kɑːˈpʊt/ (variant)
Syllable Breakdown
ka- /kə/: Consists of the voiceless velar plosive /k/ followed by the unstressed central vowel (schwa) /ə/.
-put /ˈpʊt/: Consists of the voiceless bilabial plosive /p/, the near-close near-back rounded vowel /ʊ/ (as in "foot"), and ends with the voiceless alveolar plosive /t/.
Word Form Variations
In modern English, kaput is an invariant word. Because it functions primarily as a predicative adjective, it does not change form based on number or gender.
Singular/Plural: Not applicable (it is not used as a noun).
Comparative/Superlative: It is an absolute state; one typically does not say "more kaput" or "kaputtest."
Verb Tense: Not applicable (it is not used as a verb).
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Adjective
Definition: Describes something that is completely broken, non-functional, or has ceased to work entirely. It often implies a state of being "dead" or finished beyond the point of a simple repair. It can also describe a plan or relationship that has failed utterly.
Synonyms: Defunct, broken, ruined, toast, perished, non-operational, finished.
Antonyms: Functional, operational, working, thriving, intact, repaired.
Adverb
Definition: Used informally to describe the manner in which something failed or ended (e.g., "The engine went kaput"). It indicates a sudden or total transition into a state of uselessness.
Synonyms: Unsuccessfully, disastrously.
Antonyms: Successfully, smoothly.
Examples of Use
Here are several examples of the word kaput utilized across literature, journalism, entertainment, and everyday communication:
Literature and Books
"The engine gave one last, shuddering gasp and went kaput, leaving us stranded in the middle of the Nevada desert with nothing but a half-empty canteen." (Fictional Narrative)
"He knew the marriage was kaput long before the lawyers were called; the silence in the house had become its own permanent resident." (Fictional Narrative)
"Everything is kaput, finished, gone! The old world has been swept away, and we are left with the ashes." (Fictional Narrative)
Newspapers and Journalism
"With the recent failure of the primary cooling system, the multi-million dollar research project is officially kaput unless emergency funding is approved." (The Daily Chronicle)
"Tech analysts warn that if the company cannot secure a new hardware partner by July 2026, their mobile division is effectively kaput." (Global Business Review)
"The city's plan for a new downtown stadium is kaput after the referendum failed to gain public support." (Metro Gazette)
Online Publications and Blogs
"If your laptop screen stays black after a hard reset, your graphics card might be kaput." (TechFix Blog)
"Our weekend camping plans went kaput the moment the weather forecast shifted from 'sunny' to 'severe thunderstorms'." (Lifestyle Weekly Online)
Entertainment and Media
"I'm telling you, the warp drive is kaput! We aren't going anywhere without a new dilithium crystal." (Sci-Fi Television Series)
"One wrong move and your reputation in this town is kaput. You'll never work in this industry again." (Classic Hollywood Film)
General Public Discourse
"I tried to start the lawnmower this morning, but it's totally kaput. I think it's finally time to buy an electric one."
"The Wi-Fi went kaput right in the middle of my final exam, and I nearly had a heart attack."
10 Quotes Using Kaput
"Maybe just one word? Kaput? Because you're kaput, Price." (Movie, Stalag 17, 1953)
"Face it, Harley—you and your Puddin' are kaput!" (Joker, Batman: The Animated Series)
"The idea of a box office movie star is kaput." (Brandon Katz, The Observer)
"The Stooges are now functionally kaput—of the original lineup, only Pop is left." (Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker)
"Will he send them a copy of Monty Python's dead parrot sketch – it is deceased; it is kaput; it is no more?" (Dennis Skinner, British House of Commons)
"And for us it is kaput, finished, all over." (Marta Hillers, A Woman in Berlin)
"Everything is kaput, even now everything is kaput." (Interview regarding musician Captain Beefheart, PH Magazine)
"Bonnie and Enzo's plan to use Maria is now kaput since Maria vanished into the darkness." (Recap of The Vampire Diaries)
"But your nice battleship will be ganz kaput." (Poul Anderson, Industrial Revolution)
"If she's not in this thing, I think it goes kaput." (Alfre Woodard)
Etymology
The word kaput has a surprisingly competitive history, beginning not with broken machinery, but with a 17th-century French card game called Piquet.
The Card Game Origins
The first known use of the word dates back to the mid-1600s as the French term capot. In Piquet, if a player won all the "tricks" in a hand, their opponent was said to be faire capot (to be "made capot"). Essentially, it meant the loser was left with nothing—totally defeated and stripped of points.
The German Transformation
By the late 17th century, the word migrated into German as kaputt. This transition happened during the Thirty Years' War, a time when French military terms were frequently adopted by German soldiers. The meaning expanded from a loss in a card game to a general description of being "destroyed," "ruined," or "smashed" on the battlefield.
Arrival in English
The word finally entered the English language in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It gained significant popularity during World War I and World War II, as English-speaking soldiers encountered the German use of the word. They brought it home as a slang term for anything that was dead, broken, or finished.
Key Historical Meaning
Original Meaning: To be without "tricks" or score in a card game (total defeat).
First Recorded Usage: The term capot appears in French gaming manuals in the 1640s.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Kaput
While kaput is often used as a standalone descriptor, it frequently appears in specific idiomatic structures and informal phrases. Below is a list of common, lesser-known, and synonymous idioms.
Phrases and Idioms Using "Kaput"
To go kaput: The most common usage, referring to the sudden failure of a machine or plan (e.g., "My old truck finally went kaput").
Strictly kaput: An informal emphasis used to describe a situation that is utterly beyond saving or negotiation.
Kaput and buried: A play on "dead and buried," used to describe an idea or relationship that is not only over but forgotten.
One click away from kaput: A modern technical phrase used when a device is glitching and likely to fail permanently at any moment.
Idioms with Synonyms for Similar Effect
When "kaput" doesn't quite fit the sentence structure, these idioms convey the same sense of total failure or destruction:
To go belly up: Originally referring to dead fish, this describes a business or project that has completely failed.
To go south: Used to describe a situation or value that is deteriorating rapidly or has failed.
The wheels have fallen off: An idiom for a situation that has become disorganized and is no longer functional.
To hit a dead end: Describing a plan or path that has no possible way to continue.
Down for the count: Borrowed from boxing, this implies someone or something is finished and cannot get back up.
To be toast: A slang expression indicating that something is ruined or about to be destroyed (e.g., "If I miss this deadline, I'm toast").
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of kaput from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
