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broken

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verb

past participle 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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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 stalled
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 emerged
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 broken
Adjective
As protesters attempted to stop the congressional certification of the 2020 presidential election, Babbitt was climbing through the broken window of a barricaded door to the Speaker’s Lobby when she was shot. City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 May 2025 He was brought up for the minors on April 19, 2017 when Logan Forsythe suffered a broken toe when hit by a pitch. Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
Verb
Buffalo’s season is all but over, and the team has looked broken. Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 24 Dec. 2024 When the pot was broken, the gifts would spill out, acting as an offering to Huitzilopochtli. Monica Navarro, The Arizona Republic, 24 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for broken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken
Adjective
  • Grok 3: The wind howled through the jagged spires of the Frostfang Reaches, carrying a chill that bit deeper than any blade, and Ser Willem Cray felt its teeth in his bones.
    Kelsey Piper, Vox, 12 May 2025
  • For the next hour or so, several of them will summit various routes along the cliff's steep, jagged face.
    Sean Clancy, Arkansas Online, 12 May 2025
Adjective
  • John’s piano and vocals, thankfully, were front and center, and did not suffer from uneven mixing.
    George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 May 2025
  • For instance, the automaker heard customers say the cup holders were hard to use because the front console was uneven and the cup holders weren’t flexible enough to hold different sizes and types of vessels.
    Kristin Shaw, Forbes.com, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • When Millie Gooch stopped drinking at age 26, her friends had a hard time wrapping their heads around it.
    Malaka Gharib, NPR, 8 Jan. 2025
  • For those of us who love the series, haven’t stopped playing it since it was released in October 2023, and who own every Alter Ego, this is good news.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Hackett was also demoted from his play-calling duties after Saleh was fired.
    Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2025
  • When Schmidt returns to the majors next week, Will Warren will probably be demoted.
    Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The plaintiffs seek a declaratory judgment that the commission, by approving the plans, has violated their fundamental rights.
    Amy Green, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Months later, the Department of Justice concluded that five Texas juvenile detention centers violated children's constitutional and civil rights.
    Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • People only become dependent if every problem is solved for them.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
  • This under-desk walking pad solved my problem.
    Cecily McAndrews, Health, 5 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • After realizing the mother of three was awake, the intruder immediately bolted out out of the room.
    Vivian Kwarm, New York Daily News, 17 Dec. 2024
  • An overdose episode — Kiana bolted barefoot from their rural home and went missing overnight in the woods — brought police attention and led to charges for child endangerment.
    John Branch, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Stages 3 and 4, when the tumor has spread beyond the borders of the prostate, are considered more advanced and high risk.
    Luisel Ricks-Santi, The Conversation, 20 May 2025
  • Measles was fully eliminated from the U.S. in 2000, according to the CDC, meaning the virus was not spreading within the country and new cases only came from people who contracted measles abroad and returned to the U.S.
    Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Broken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken. Accessed 24 May. 2025.

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