Synonyms of broke
-
as in poor
-
as in disrupted
-
as in ended
-
as in demoted
-
as in deciphered
-
as in paused
-
as in plowed
-
as in violated
-
as in solved
-
as in damaged
-
as in died
-
as in retreated
-
as in wore
-
as in circulated
-
as in ruined
-
as in began
-
as in veered
-
as in reduced
-
as in exceeded
-
as in surfaced
-
Example Sentences
-
Entries Near
as in poor
lacking money or material possessions
too broke to afford even a used car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ended
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
7
as in violated
to fail to keep
had to confess that he had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
9
as in damaged
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in died
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in wore
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
13
as in circulated
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
15
as in began
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
17
as in reduced
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Sam Davies, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
The government is essentially broke.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Wave win their fourth straight Ludmila broke the deadlock with the Legacy in the 62nd minute at Gillette Stadium, giving the Wave (4-1-0) their best start in club history.
—Phuoc Nguyen, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for broke
Adjective
He’s gone through several record deals, lost a bandmate, gone broke, played shows with five-figure attendances, and met his heroes.
—Sam Davies, Rolling Stone, 25 Mar. 2026
The government is essentially broke.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2026
Verb
The actress broke her silence after a judge dismissed key claims in her case.
—ABC News, 4 Apr. 2026
Wave win their fourth straight Ludmila broke the deadlock with the Legacy in the 62nd minute at Gillette Stadium, giving the Wave (4-1-0) their best start in club history.
—Phuoc Nguyen, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for broke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke
Adjective
-
Serious Medical and Emotional Neglect Turner said Kaiko arrived in poor health, suffering from multiple medical issues and signs of prolonged neglect.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The city of Plano scores restaurants on a 100-point system, with 100 considered a perfect score and 70 extremely poor.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The strikes temporarily disrupted the spacecraft’s electrical systems, but quick action by mission control kept the mission on track.—
Brandi D. Addison,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
But oil bound for Asia from this new exit point still has to pass through Bab el-Mandeb to avoid the long way around, meaning it could be disrupted.—
Flavio Macau,
Fortune,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Oh, and after a Collins strikeout finally ended the streak in the sixth, Isbel promptly led off the bottom of the seventh with a home run.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
2 Apr. 2026
-
According to Max Preps, the JSerra Lions ended the 2025 season with a 3-7 record and went 0-5 in the Trinity League against powerhouse like Mater Dei.—
Charles Baggarly,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Once in a rare while, a person who was once heroically famous is demoted to infamous, and his statues disappear.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Always an oddity as a planet, Pluto was demoted to dwarf planet in 2006.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, scientists identified the virus, deciphered its secrets, concocted a vaccine, put it into production, and rendered the disease manageable – all within a year.—
David Blumenthal,
Fortune,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Researchers using advanced imaging technology have deciphered 79 previously invisible inscriptions — including love notes, drawings of gladiators, and everyday messages — on a wall in the ancient city of Pompeii, offering a rare window into the lives of ordinary people nearly 2,000 years ago.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
An appellate court has paused the order for now, and at time of publication had yet to rule on the merits.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
But now the deal has been paused amid legal challenges asserting that Nexstar-Tegna violates antitrust laws.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The suspect plowed his truck into Temple Israel synagogue on March 12.—
Emily Shapiro,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The slow burn of Santos getting repeatedly plowed over with stress and emotion has led her to contemplate self-harm again.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In other words, Raskin alleges someone at the DOJ may have violated a court order, a possible contempt issue.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Friedman sided with The Times earlier this month, ruling that the Pentagon's new credential policy violated journalists' constitutional rights to free speech and due process.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
