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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Recent Examples of broke
Adjective
An eccentric poodle breeder lures a broke college student to her remote ranch with a promise of research funding.—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 16 Apr. 2026 Such strong characterizations and go-for-broke performances, especially among the women, make up for some decidedly contrived plotting.—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 9 Apr. 2026
Verb
The solar pump extracting the groundwater broke.—Julie Bourdin, NPR, 11 Apr. 2026 Another broke free from one of the men, who tried to stand up on its back, and galloped toward North College Street where it was hit by a passing car.—Charlotte Observer, 11 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for broke
The Braves couldn’t overcome a poor start from Reynaldo López and saw their six-game winning streak fall by the wayside in an 11-4 loss to the Nationals on Tuesday at Nationals Park.
—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
22 Apr. 2026
In the days leading up to his fatal overdose, Prince was in poor health and was forced to cancel shows in Atlanta.
Now, with missiles intercepted over Gulf capitals and air travel repeatedly disrupted, the long-standing stability of Dubai expat life is being questioned.
—
Emma Graham,Sawdah Bhaimiya,
CNBC,
21 Apr. 2026
The case stems from the September 2024 fire at the BioLab facility, which sent a large plume of smoke into the air, forced more than 17,000 people to evacuate and about 90,000 others to shelter in place, and disrupted nearby businesses and neighborhoods.
Schuch paused in front of a Tetra Pak carton of Côtes du Rhône, noting that while such packaging had gone over fine in Nordic countries, French consumers had rejected it vehemently.
—
Lauren Collins,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Luxury brands across the Gulf have watched demand fall as much as 70% since the war began, LVMH is shipping inventory out of the region, and Hermès has paused deliveries to stores in Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait entirely, The New York Times reported.