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
As monarch, Charles is the supreme governor of the Church of England, a role established in the 16th century when King Henry VIII broke from the Catholic Church. Muvija M, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025 The swing put the Tigers up 2-1, broke Dingler’s slump and ignited Detroit’s offense. Zack Meisel, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for broke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke
Adjective
  • 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
  • Her existence in the vibrant capital city of Sepphoris brings into questions some of our traditional assumptions of Mary as an impoverished illiterate from a backwater rural village with no exposure to Greco-Roman culture.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The rise of streaming and shifting business models have disrupted the rhythms on which many of us built stable careers, and production has become increasingly global and complex.
    Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
  • On one hand, companies like Upwork and Fiverr have suffered as generative AI has disrupted simple contract jobs like copyediting and translation.
    Diane Brady, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the quarter ended August, Oracle's Nvidia cloud business posted gross margins of just 14%, far below its overall margin of around 70%.
    Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Fallon ended the chat by surprising the trio with the presentation of the platinum plaque for the movie’s soundtrack.
    Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 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
  • His administration also paused applications for parole programs and allowed ICE to cancel parole statuses of migrants.
    Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2025
  • And when the pandemic hit, many employers paused the coaching process.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The market rally has been fueled by megacap technology companies, which have plowed billions of dollars in development of artificial intelligence, as they are rewarded with rich multiples for the promise of this new era.
    Yun Li, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Running back Antonio Gibson plowed forward for a 1-yard touchdown run after a four-play, 14-yard drive, giving the Patriots a 28-6 lead into the half.
    Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 28 Sep. 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 10 Oct. 2025.

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