zeugma.

A construction in which one word applies to multiple elements with a shift in meaning or grammatical fit.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a comic zeugma
• zeugma in a sentence

On the page

The line’s zeugma joined a broken window to a broken promise without another verb.

She removed the comic zeugma when its cleverness distracted from the injury.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Singular zeugma; plural zeugmas. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.