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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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
Essence, 6 Nov. 2025
Kenny Mallick, a plumbing and heating contractor based in Gaithersburg, Md, says that's created a broken labor system that hurts the economy and is unfair to hardworking migrants.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Ausberry said at a press conference last week that LSU and its athletic department are not broken.
—Chris Vannini, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for broken
Adjective
But even Gellali—and Nitemi, and Lanre da Silva—are working within broken systems.
—Essence, 6 Nov. 2025
Kenny Mallick, a plumbing and heating contractor based in Gaithersburg, Md, says that's created a broken labor system that hurts the economy and is unfair to hardworking migrants.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
The Ohio Anti-Slavery Society’s 1835 report told of a Black family whose home had been broken into and looted the year before.
—Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Ausberry said at a press conference last week that LSU and its athletic department are not broken.
—Chris Vannini, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for broken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken
Adjective
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Yamamoto earned his third victory, a 5-4 triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays that ended in the 11th inning on the shattered bat of Alejandro Kirk, who tapped a splitter to Mookie Betts at shortstop for a season-ending double play.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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The second suspect, a 39-year-old man also from Aubervilliers, was already known to police for thefts; his DNA was discovered on the shattered display case and other items left behind.—
Barney Henderson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Rose now realizes the smeared, dark, jagged edges are an abstract human.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
PEOPLE,
4 Nov. 2025
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All the shadows and jagged angles evoke German Expressionism, distorting Ronnie’s confrontation into something both surreal and terrifyingly recognizable.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Future work will focus on integrating snow-deposition modeling with PV yield simulations to more accurately predict energy losses and on expanding analyses to more complex, uneven alpine terrain.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
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The Trojans' uneven season hasn't exactly helped slow rumors either.—
Rowan Fisher-Shotton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The shutdown has disrupted federal operations, delayed pay for hundreds of thousands of workers, and put critical programs at risk.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
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If the shutdown has not been resolved at the end of this week, there is a big risk Thanksgiving travel could be disrupted, said Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The move comes weeks after Microsoft stopped providing some services to an Israeli defense unit.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
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There is no data showing how many of those minors married other minors, and which married adults for recent years, as the state stopped collecting that data in 2022.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Sanders demoted offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to quarterbacks coach and stripped the former NFL head coach of play-calling duties.—
Andrew McCarty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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He is simply demoted in sexiness without fanfare.—
Choire Sicha,
CNN Money,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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While expeditions in the early 1990s deciphered crucial insights into the ship’s final moments, one expedition drew sharp criticism after a crewman’s body was found.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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All these tropes — gaydar and girls without it — make for easier narratives, but the presumption that the codes of the heart can be deciphered on the body is one that, outside the world of absurdist comedy — and probably sometimes within it as well — can wound and damage.—
Kelly Foster Lundquist,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The mailman paused, checking to see if anyone had noticed or knew the puppy had escaped.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Nearby, Kristen Stewart — who later delivered a keynote speech — paused for the cameras in head-to-toe Chanel, ever the house’s muse.—
Ryma Chikhoune,
Footwear News,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Broken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken. Accessed 4 Dec. 2025.
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