Synonyms of broken
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as in shattered 
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as in jagged
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as in uneven
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as in fractured
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as in stopped
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as in demoted
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as in deciphered
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as in paused
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as in plowed
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as in violated
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as in solved
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as in damaged
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as in stalled
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as in bolted
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as in worn
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as in spread
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as in ruined
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as in originated
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as in veered
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as in reduced
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as in exceeded
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as in emerged
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Example Sentences
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Entries Near
1
as in shattered
forcibly separated into many pieces
a broken vase that could not be repaired
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2
as in jagged
having an uneven edge or outline
the broken rim of the antique vase greatly reduces its value
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3
as in uneven
not having a level or smooth surface
that portion of the hiking trail consists of a long, broken mountain ridge
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1
as in fractured
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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2
as in stopped
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
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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
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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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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
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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
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7
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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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
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9
as in damaged
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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10
as in stalled
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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11
as in bolted
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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12
as in worn
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
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13
as in spread
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
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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
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15
as in originated
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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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
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17
as in reduced
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
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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
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of broken
Ben Pickman, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
In January, a Missouri woman, photographed holding Nancy Pelosi’s broken nameplate on January 6th, received ten years in prison for killing a woman while driving drunk.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2025
Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Duxbury has also broken onto the global fashion scene as a model and brand ambassador.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for broken
Adjective
Tibbetts said that Whitcomb’s 3-pointer came on a broken play.
—Ben Pickman, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
In January, a Missouri woman, photographed holding Nancy Pelosi’s broken nameplate on January 6th, received ten years in prison for killing a woman while driving drunk.
—Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
There, she was told by a physician assistant that her water had broken, and the baby was unlikely to survive.
—Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Duxbury has also broken onto the global fashion scene as a model and brand ambassador.
—Grace McCarty, Glamour, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for broken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken
Adjective
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After struggling with life inside a Greenland bunker, the anxious Garrity family decides to leave that safety and navigate a shattered and radioactive wasteland of Europe to find a new home.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
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In addition to the shattered bones noted in Buttgereit’s surgery notes, Schaible said the physician identified nerve damage midsurgery that required additional work to fix.—
Katheryn Houghton,
Miami Herald,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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With over 70,000 acres available to explore, visitors can take on the park’s 136 miles of trail, visit high alpine lakes, and climb jagged peaks.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Sep. 2025
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Nowadays, wig enthusiasts are shaping their lace to mimic more of a natural hairline that may include a widow’s peak, and or more jagged instead of rigid hair line, so definitely keep that customization option in mind.—
Noel Cymone Walker,
StyleCaster,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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It’s been a rough couple of years and an uneven few weeks for the Broncos’ secondary, which often finds itself on the receiving end of criticism for surrendering big plays and big passing yards.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Sep. 2025
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For the uninitiated, navigating the uneven streets in high heels is a balancing act.—
Abbey Hudetz,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The President formed strategic alliances with the world’s two richest men, Elon Musk and Larry Ellison (though his relationship with the former has since fractured spectacularly).—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
19 Sep. 2025
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Back in 2023, Aerosmith called off their Peace Out … Farewell Tour after three shows because Tyler fractured his larynx onstage.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Nexstar Media Group, one of the ABC affiliates which last week stopped airing Jimmy Kimmel Live!—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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Australia stopped stamping most passports in 2012 in favor of electronic immigration records, and New Zealand followed suit in 2016.—
Bailey Berg,
AFAR Media,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In February 2024, several months after Robinson received a positive performance review, the investigation was closed and Robinson was demoted two classifications to a correctional lieutenant.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
24 Sep. 2025
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The butt of these jokes is Mike Waltz, the ambitious former congressman and national security adviser who was unceremoniously demoted to Turtle Bay in April for a series of sins that add up to not being MAGA enough.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Many of which have yet to be deciphered.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Sep. 2025
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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
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Ever the showman, Alvarez paused before reaching first base and motioned toward the Mets’ dugout.—
Will Sammon,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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Milwaukee police previously told the Common Council the police task force responsible for the takeovers was paused Labor Day weekend to deal with violent crime on Water Street.—
Drake Bentley,
jsonline.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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