broke 1 of 2

broke

2 of 2

verb

past tense of break
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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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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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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 died
to stop functioning after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day

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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 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
So to invest in a broke company is beyond me. Joe Vardon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025 In any case, now Jeremiah has to trade a rent-free room at Steven’s apartment for a rent-free room at Denise’s, but clearly, being broke does wonders for the spirit. Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
AstraZeneca this week broke ground on a new facility in Virginia, an event Young and Oz attended. Joseph Choi, The Hill, 10 Oct. 2025 After news of the trio’s meeting broke, fans immediately started speculating on social media that Philadelphia’s locker room culture was starting to sour. Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for broke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke
Adjective
  • The caravan, which departed earlier this month, is expected to take weeks to reach its destination, where migrants hope to find higher-paying jobs in Mexico’s capital city, rather than its impoverished south.
    Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2025
  • But the Shah’s failure to provide support to the peasants led to their farms failing, and sent waves of impoverished migrants to Tehran and other Iranian cities—many of whom would later fuel the 1979 revolution.
    Nik Kowsar, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • These dolphins exhibited 536 altered genes, indicating disrupted GABAergic synapses, changes in the basement membrane, and increased Alzheimer's risk factors, which worsen with each bloom season.
    Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Air travel was snarled during the more than month-long government shutdown that ended in January 2019, hours after a shortfall of air traffic controllers disrupted flights in the New York area.
    Lillian Rizzo,Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Seven of the top flight’s 20 teams ended that campaign with a pass completion rate of less than 70 per cent.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • In April, Brazil ended visa-free travel for citizens of the US, Canada, and Australia, citing a lack of reciprocity.
    Rebecca Schneid, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Of note, the network demoted (and then extended) Doris Burke, while Tim Legler got called up to the finals team with Breen and Richard Jefferson.
    Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Flacco played in four games for Cleveland in 2025, starting all of them and leading the team to a 1-3 mark before he was demoted in favor of Gabriel.
    Max Dible, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Many of which have yet to be deciphered.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2025
  • In total, 16 metrics were deciphered to rank each state under these dimensions, such as shares of children, teens and adults with different vaccinations, people without health insurance, and many others.
    Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Sales can resume after a judge paused the Ohio governor's ban on THC gummies and beverages.
    Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Colbert paused for a quick beat.
    James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Hardy plowed over him and celebrated a go-ahead touchdown that ignited the crowd.
    David Ubben, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed when 35-year-old British citizen Jihad Al Shamie, who was born in Syria, plowed his car into pedestrians and stabbed at least one other victim.
    Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • His team also asked for a stay of execution and a new trial after claims that judicial officials in Anderson County, where a jury sentenced him to death in 2003, violated Roberson's constitutional rights.
    Erik Ortiz, NBC news, 9 Oct. 2025
  • The president of the European Commission highlighted that in just the last two weeks, Russian drones and warplanes have violated the airspace of six European nations, scrambling jets, grounding commercial flights and posing a direct threat to EU citizens.
    Caitlin McFall, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Broke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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