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 disrupted
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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 unfolded
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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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Relevance
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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 disrupted
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 unfolded
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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of broken
Richard Ramos, CBS News, 28 May 2026
As of today, Medicare covers the cost of a broken hip, but not the equipment that might have prevented injury.
—Adaira Landry, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 4 June 2026
In the first compatibility game of the season, Islanders were broken into gendered groups and separated by colorful doors.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for broken
Adjective
One woman suffered broken bones in her leg, pelvis and jaw, along with broken teeth.
—Richard Ramos, CBS News, 28 May 2026
As of today, Medicare covers the cost of a broken hip, but not the equipment that might have prevented injury.
—Adaira Landry, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Verb
In the second semifinal, the game in which Diana Shnaider was broken for 5-4 to leave Maja Chwalińska serving for the match could be dismissed as a sloppy few points and some bad decision-making.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 4 June 2026
In the first compatibility game of the season, Islanders were broken into gendered groups and separated by colorful doors.
—Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for broken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken
Adjective
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The early bones were too shattered to identify.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
28 May 2026
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In 1987, members of the national media praised Minnesotans for their joyous and generally family-friendly celebration of the Twins’ first World Series title, free of the shattered windows, tear gas and burning cars.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
27 May 2026
Adjective
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At Palisades State Park, striking red-pink Sioux quartzite cliffs jut up to 50 feet above Split Rock Creek, their jagged faces almost glowing against a backdrop of bucolic farmland.—
Taryn Shorr-Mckee,
Midwest Living,
4 June 2026
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Rescuers knew that getting them out would not be easy in the face of jagged rocks, dirty water, near-zero visibility and the risk of panic.—
Janis Mackey Frayer,
NBC news,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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While this novel is at times engaging and even includes one surprising turn, much is uneven – either predictable or requiring a huge suspension of disbelief.—
The Know,
Denver Post,
4 June 2026
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An InStyle tester, who has combination skin with uneven tone and fine lines, was impressed with the cream’s thick, cushiony texture, and experienced zero flaking when using it with tretinoin.—
Jenny Berg,
InStyle,
4 June 2026
Verb
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Fragmented sleep, irregular sleep timing, and disrupted circadian rhythms can all negatively affect your health.—
Brian Mastroianni,
Health,
2 June 2026
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Spurs deserve credit for acting swiftly and learning their lessons from last summer when the uncertainty over the future of then head coach Ange Postecoglou disrupted their plans and contributed to them missing out on key targets.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Not that long after, a guard near the New York Stock Exchange stopped me.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
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Stosic delivered one giant hammer fist to Hardy’s jaw and the referee came in and stopped the bout.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Royce Lewis’ production at the plate since being demoted to Triple-A for a reset has drawn all kinds of attention.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
3 June 2026
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After Juventus were demoted to Serie B in 2006 following the Calciopoli scandal, Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Alessandro Del Piero, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet stayed.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Verb
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As a preface, the conclusion here, deciphered from the scene by this author, was a plea for Giannis Antetokounmpo.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
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By slow degrees, Philip’s story shifts to accommodate the incontrovertible evidence of IP addresses and deciphered cryptography and Lucy struggles to keep up, let alone understand.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Adults with cognitive decline took longer to start writing, paused more frequently and struggled with stroke organization, the study found.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
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Service was paused, so passengers could be offloaded while authorities worked to clear the tracks.—
Maveah Griffith,
Charlotte Observer,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Broken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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