broke 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of brokenext
as in poor
lacking money or material possessions too broke to afford even a used car

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broke

2 of 2

verb

past tense of break
1
as in disrupted
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly hated telling her that I had broken her favorite glass vase

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2
as in ended
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end the final vote broke the deadlock

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3
as in demoted
to bring to a lower grade or rank the captain was broken to lieutenant commander for disobeying a direct order from his group commander

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4
as in deciphered
to change (as a secret message) from code into ordinary language Alan Turing and the Bletchley Park mathematicians broke the Enigma code being used by the Nazis

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5
as in paused
to come to a temporary halt in one's activity she broke from her ruminations to find that it was already dinnertime

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6
as in plowed
to cut into and turn over the sod of (a piece of land) using a bladed implement farmers once broke fields with horse-drawn plows

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7
as in violated
to fail to keep had to confess that he had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone

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8
as in solved
to find an answer for through reasoning Professor Bates broke the problem when she realized that it was possible to synthesize the necessary compounds

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9
as in damaged
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of I broke a tooth on the hard candy

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10
as in died
to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

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11
as in retreated
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening the herd of gazelles broke when they saw the lions racing toward them from the ridge above

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12
as in wore
to use up all the physical energy of the trek up the mountain just about broke me

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13
as in circulated
to become known as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country

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14
as in ruined
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts another bad investment could break him

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15
as in began
to come into existence the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking

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16
as in veered
to depart abruptly from a straight line or course the running back broke to his left before running out of bounds

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17
as in reduced
to diminish the price or value of distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks

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18
as in exceeded
to go beyond the limit of a menu with prices that is likely to break the budgets of all but the wealthiest of diners

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19
as in surfaced
to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below dolphins were breaking all around the boat

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of broke
Adjective
In the 1940s, the company leading the mining operation went broke and filed for bankruptcy, and many residents moved on. — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 23 May 2026 Three years into his term, America wasn't broke, but the stock market did experience some of its biggest single-day losses during the coronavirus pandemic. — Dan Snierson, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026
Verb
Their character's absence was alluded to in Fuller House's first episode, when the characters broke the fourth wall by knowingly looking in to the camera. — Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 1 July 2026 According to the federal indictment, the 32-year-old man broke into the car and took a bag containing a rifle and silencer, as well as a satchel of ammunition. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for broke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke
  1. poor
  2. disrupted
  3. ended
  4. demoted
  5. deciphered
  6. paused
  7. plowed
  8. violated
Adjective
  • Overflowing poor drainage areas in urban areas of northwest Hickory and in the Northlakes area of Caldwell County.
    — NC Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
  • There was a lot of poor decision-making with this match, on and off the pitch.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of poor
Verb
  • The dangerous temperatures have already disrupted several events scheduled for Friday.
    — Erin McGarry, NBC news, 3 July 2026
  • The overlap of two warming patterns — one regional and one climate-scale — could compound stress on marine food webs that have already been repeatedly disrupted over the past decade.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of disrupted
Verb
  • But the rally ended when Hernández’s liner up the middle landed in the glove of Rockies right-hander Jimmy Herget, who just entered the game, catching Kyle Tucker off first base for a double play.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
  • The decision was never formally confirmed in a plenary session before the conference ended.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
Definition of ended
Verb
  • The station demoted one anchor and began discouraging its reporters from pursuing political stories that could draw attention to the station in favor of human interest stories, The Associated Press reported at the time.
    — Max Tani, semafor.com, 6 July 2026
  • But in the process, the department demoted theology, a field that some had targeted for enjoying professional status when nursing did not.
    — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Definition of demoted
Verb
  • Its successor script, Linea B, was also a mystery until it was deciphered in 1952 by an amateur linguist and cryptographer Michael Ventris with the help of classicist John Chadwick, both building on patterns in the script first identified by classicist Alice Kober.
    — Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 23 June 2026
  • The signature was deciphered with the help of AI, and specialists at auction house Lyon & Turnbull were able to confirm that Cadell was the artist.
    — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 20 June 2026
Definition of deciphered
Verb
  • Assemblymember Alex Lee announced on Wednesday that $20 million in the 2026-27 fiscal budget has been allocated to restart the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Program after the program paused at the end of June due to a lack of funding.
    — Lyanne Wang, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • The move prompted several lawsuits, and a federal judge last week paused the implementation of the lower limits while the cases work their way through the court system.
    — Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
Definition of paused
Verb
  • Trump has plowed a huge hole in the innocent intent of the six justices who supported the measure, but the words from the three dissenting justices ring loud and clear for the world to have heard today.
    — Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2026
  • Another Serve Robotics robot plowed through a crime scene.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 24 June 2026
Definition of plowed
Verb
  • The case claims Disney violated federal antitrust law and various state antitrust and consumer protection laws.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
  • The nonprofit, which alleged the county violated the Surplus Lands Act by not first exploring affordable-housing development at the site, still has not dismissed its lawsuit.
    — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 4 July 2026
Definition of violated

Browse Nearby Words

broils
broke
broke bread
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Cite this Entry

“Broke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of broke for Spanish Speakers

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