broach

verb

Definition of broachnext
1
as in to surface
to penetrate the surface (as of water) from below the immense whales broaching was a magnificent sight

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to introduce
to present or bring forward for discussion broached the topic of plans for next year's parade

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word broach distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of broach are air, express, utter, vent, and voice. While all these words mean "to make known what one thinks or feels," broach adds the implication of disclosing for the first time something long thought over or reserved for a suitable occasion.

broached the subject of a divorce

When might air be a better fit than broach?

Although the words air and broach have much in common, air implies an exposing or parading of one's views often in order to gain relief or sympathy or attention.

publicly airing their differences

When could express be used to replace broach?

The words express and broach can be used in similar contexts, but express suggests an impulse to reveal in words, gestures, actions, or what one creates or produces.

expressed her feelings in music

When can utter be used instead of broach?

In some situations, the words utter and broach are roughly equivalent. However, utter implies the use of the voice not necessarily in articulate speech.

utter a groan

When would vent be a good substitute for broach?

The synonyms vent and broach are sometimes interchangeable, but vent stresses a strong inner compulsion to express especially in words.

a tirade venting his frustration

When is it sensible to use voice instead of broach?

While in some cases nearly identical to broach, voice does not necessarily imply vocal utterance but does imply expression or formulation in words.

an editorial voicing their concerns

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 broach Seemingly, a detente was broached on Monday. —Chris Waugh, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025 Finally, Matt broached the topic with Jasmine. —Abigail Adams, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025 For those struggling to broach the subject, Williams said even talking to your partner about egg prices is a place to start. —Rachel Barber, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025 According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, the Dodgers' brain trust never broached the subject of a position change with Betts during Monday's meeting. —Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for broach
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broach
  1. surface
  2. introduce
  3. raise
  4. discuss
  5. place
Verb
  • Even 100 years later, MacDougall’s experiment continues to surface.
    — Leah Hudson, Popular Science, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Spongebob will soon surface in Hollywood.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2025
Definition of surface
Verb
  • The training introduces the concepts used in stream team monitoring such as hydrology, natural and human impact on streams and monitoring methods.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Punk introduced himself as AJ Lee’s husband.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Definition of introduce
Verb
  • As he was driven away, Matthews raised a thumbs-up to the crowd, drawing an ovation from USC fans and a huddle of his Spartans teammates, who circled together in support before returning to the sideline.
    — Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Rock for First Responders benefit concert; another year of showing their support for the event, which raises money for essential equipment and mental health programs for Santa Barbara’s first responders.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 21 Sep. 2025
Definition of raise
Verb
  • For instance, Charles Kuck, an adjunct professor of law at Emory and immigration law firm partner, appeared on CGTN earlier this month to discuss the effect of deportations on the job market.
    — Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
  • China’s top leaders are scheduled to meet in October to discuss development goals for 2026 to 2030.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of discuss
Verb
  • While the 16 Plus placed last in most of these performance tests, most of its competitors were a bit pricier, and its scores alone prove enough speed for mainstream buyers.
    — Charles Jefferies, PC Magazine, 18 Sep. 2025
  • That places sodium on more equal ground with lithium, said first author Sam Oh of the A*STAR Institute of Materials Research and Engineering in Singapore.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2025
Definition of place

Browse Nearby Words

brittleness
broach
broached
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Broach.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broach. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on broach

Nglish: Translation of broach for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Putting Adjectives in the Right Order

A Guide to Using Semicolons
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3

Color Words to Describe Autumn Leaves

Our Best Historical Slang Terms

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

12 Words Whose History Will Surprise You
See More

Popular

See More

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 3

Color Words to Describe Autumn Leaves
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
vector image of a face with thought expression
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Take a (break/brake) and (pore/pour) over this (c...
See All