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
Rachel and Monica’s West Village sublet gave way to Hannah and Marnie’s Greenpoint apartment—an address that might be considered laughably unattainable by the broke twentysomethings of today. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026 That was about four months after Buc-ee's broke ground near Dayton. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
Verb
Holt hit the glass around a jewelry display with the hammer and broke it. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2026 Only one live-action title — ReelShort’s My X-Ray Vision Sees Right Through You — broke the list of the top five highest-performing verticals in terms of minutes watched. — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 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
  • Disease that has spread to those organs is associated with poorer treatment outcomes.
    — Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026
  • They were frustrated with teacher shortages and poor conditions at schools, including overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated buildings.
    — James Cirrone , Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of poor
Verb
  • The president said SpaceX CEO Elon Musk lifted restrictions on Ukraine’s access to Starshield, but Ukrainian soldiers said the service was still disrupted Friday.
    — Victoria Craw, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Common signs include low energy, disrupted sleep, mood changes and loss of motivation.
    — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of disrupted
Verb
  • Three outside law professors who reviewed the materials at the request of The Post said West Point's actions appear to violate the order issued by Judge Cathy Seibel in September that ended a lawsuit filed by a civilian professor at the academy.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Moussa Diabaté, who ended the game with 11 points, had 11 rebounds in the first half, including eight on the offensive end.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of ended
Verb
  • Those who fail to scan the address verification QR code within seven days will see their account demoted to the free tier and be barred from joining any other Duo or Family plan for 12 months.
    — Nick Indge, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Detroit demoted former general manager Steve Yzerman in July, giving him an advisory role to owner and CEO Chris Ilitch, and named Shawn Horcoff interim GM after failing to hire one during a search.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of demoted
Verb
  • But a more apt comparison might be the Mirabilia Urbis Romae, in which Medieval scholars deciphered the staggering ruins of Classical Rome.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Re-creating the Herculaneum scrolls To date, one entire scroll and passages from others have been deciphered, largely thanks to the Vesuvius Challenge, a project launched in 2023 that encourages researchers to decode scrolls for cash prizes.
    — Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of deciphered
Verb
  • The new lawsuit says that prohibitions like the ones aimed at CNN, MS NOW and Politico — which a judge has paused — violate the rights of ordinary citizens.
    — Scott Nover, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026
  • OpenAI contained the incident but paused training and evaluation of its most capable models.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of paused
Verb
  • In the postwar decades, humans seized ecosystems at breakneck speed—forests were felled, prairies plowed, wetlands drained.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Tesla has plowed significant resources into developing its Optimus humanoid robot and robotaxi fleet, although none of those have served as major sources of revenue for the firm.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of plowed
Verb
  • In January, the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights concluded that the school violated Title IX over athletic participation, facilities and its response to complaints.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Unless disclosed to and approved by the US government and reported on his tax returns, Kushner’s access to the Alpha account may have violated US law.
    — Matthew Cole, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 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 28 Oct. 2026.

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