BROKE Synonyms: 659 Similar and Opposite Words

broke 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of broke

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

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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as in ended

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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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as in damaged

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

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as in died

to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

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started (up)

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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as in wore

to use up all the physical energy of the trek up the mountain just about broke me

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as in circulated

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

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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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as in began

to come into existence the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking

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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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straightened

as in reduced

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

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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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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

News reports warn that Social Security is running out of money, going broke. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 22 July 2026 The pat explanation for this shift is that people are just too busy, too broke, and too brain-melted to read serious books any more. — Literary Hub, 15 July 2026

Verb

Last month, weeks after tens of thousands of students took to the streets of New Delhi demanding education reform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally broke his silence on the seven-week protests. — Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 2 Sep. 2026 Those parts, what people never saw or knew of, are what broke me. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for broke

Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke

Adjective

The following season, Chelsea topped their Champions League group, but poor Premier League form saw Mourinho sacked in mid-December.

— Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Many are in poor shape, with thin, uninsulated walls, leaky windows, old or broken swamp coolers and electrical systems that can't always handle air conditioners.

— Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of poor

Verb

China's ban on engineers and equipment last year had disrupted iPhone production, according to several media outlets.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026
Advertisement The Houthis previously disrupted shipping in 2024, in response to Israel’s occupation and bombardment of Gaza, and made a global impact.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of disrupted

Verb

United ended their four-season sleeve sponsorship with DXC Technology in August, with the team instead wearing the standard Premier League sleeve patches, as required by league regulations, for the opening games.

— Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Disagreements over how to resolve the problem created a political crisis that ended an alliance between leading figures in the government that came to power in 2024.

— Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of ended

Verb

Jose Bueno, who was chief of staff under former Superintendent Jose Dotres and applied for the role this year, was demoted to an assistant superintendent role last month.

— Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026
Lucas Erceg was demoted to the minors while Matt Strahm and John Schreiber were offloaded in recent weeks.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of demoted

Verb

Uncertainty notwithstanding, the longevity world has glommed onto the notion that the vaginal microbiome is some kind of exotic tealeaf that can be deciphered—and perfected by purchasing the right supplements.

— Sarah DiGregorio, Vanity Fair, 27 July 2026
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

Definition of deciphered

Verb

Brent crude oil prices paused in early trading on Tuesday after gaining in the previous session following a drone attack on an oil pipeline pumping station in Russia that reduced flows from Kazakhstan.

— Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
Local officials never secured a binding agreement, and construction paused with the project only partly finished.

— Austyn Gaffney, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of paused

Verb

Simmons hit Olugbode from 14 yards out to cap the next series, Roberts plowed in for a TD early in the second quarter, and Simmons added long touchdown throws to Olugbode and fellow Ole Miss transfer Cayden Lee before his day was done.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Officials told Indian media outlets that whatever fell off the glacier may have dropped into a glacial lake and blocked a river, resulting in the massive wave of ice, water and debris that plowed through settlements nearby.

— Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of plowed

Verb

League officials said the Clippers violated salary cap rules by initiating off-court income opportunities and facilitating endorsement agreements for Kawhi Leonard, who was also fined $700,000.

— Ashley Mowreader, NBC news, 5 Sep. 2026
Editor-in-chief Erik Slavin, publisher Max Lederer, and reporter Lara Korte at Stars and Stripes – a military news outlet that is partially funded by the Pentagon – claimed their dismissals were retaliatory and violated the First Amendment.

— Miles J. Herszenhorn, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of violated

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broils

broke

broke bread

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Cite this Entry

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“Broke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of broke

adjective

verb

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