broke 1 of 2

broke

2 of 2

verb

past tense 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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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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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 died
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 surfaced
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 broke
Adjective
About 60% of NBA stars go broke within five years of retirement, Sports Illustrated reported in 2009. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025 Builders need to have a full package of design documents before ground is broke. Brynn Cooksey, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
Athenian stage comedy routinely often broke the fourth wall to comment on current politics to the politicians sitting right in front of them. Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025 After the news broke, he was dropped from an advertising campaign by Crocs and Hollister. Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 19 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for broke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke
Adjective
  • It was conducted in an impoverished country in Africa where the mortality rate for children under age 5 is about double the global average, according to data collected by UNICEF.
    Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Along with housing, medical expenses are a top cost for impoverished people.
    Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Europe accelerated spending on renewables and energy efficiency after Russia's invasion of Ukraine disrupted natural gas supplies.
    Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Foreign business confidence in China has declined since Covid-19 when pandemic restrictions disrupted supply chains — the domestic economy has remained sluggish, dragged down by a real estate slump and overcapacity in industrial sectors.
    Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Dow ended the day in the green but significantly off session highs, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed the session lower.
    Alex Harring, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Finances got so bad, and mistrust so high, that New York mob boss Meyer Lansky, an old childhood friend whose money was financing the project, allegedly ordered the hit that ended Siegel’s life in July 1947.
    Julie Tremaine, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Elsewhere in the state, last year’s recipients—Beckon in Denver, Bosq in Aspen, Brutø in Denver, and Frasca Food and Wine—all retained their one-star status, while no restaurants were demoted this year.
    Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Many coup backers are simply demoted or purged from the government without facing trial or execution.
    Joe Wright, The Conversation, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • Those sent on the trip filmed and recorded their upcoming opponents' signs, which Stalions then deciphered.
    Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The conservative-leaning Oklahoma Supreme Court temporarily blocked the state's plan to integrate Bible instruction and paused the implementation of new social studies standards after legal challenges argued that the measures violated the separation of church and state and open-meetings rules.
    Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Driven by moral outrage and worries about reputational risk, top conglomerates like Netflix suspended services and halted new projects and acquisitions in Russia, while all of America’s major movie studios paused film releases and distribution there.
    Ilan Berman, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • His mother, who had a boutique in the resort town of Aix-les-Bains, plowed all her money into the brand and supervised preparations for the debut.
    Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 19 Sep. 2025
  • And the defense got plowed around for 394 yards and couldn’t get the ball back when the Chiefs would have had a late chance to rally.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Just days ago, Russian drones violated Polish airspace, drawing a reaction from NATO.
    Oleksandra Matviichuk, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Hindustan Times via Getty Images Key Facts The Securities and Exchange Board of India, in a pair of orders on Thursday, ruled transactions between Adani Group companies and firms flagged by Hindenburg neither violated regulations nor constituted market manipulation.
    Ty Roush, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Broke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

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