broken 1 of 2

Definition of brokennext
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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
Kansas Citians used sandbags, broken concrete, mounds of dirt and rocks from local quarries, and junked cars to shore up the levees protecting Municipal Airport and North Kansas City. Kansas City Public Library Staff, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026 But other Republicans cited broken promises by House GOP leadership as the reason for voting against the rule. Chad De Guzman, Time, 1 July 2026
Verb
Even more remarkable was Josh Tarling’s recovery, the Welshman having broken his own collarbone just three weeks ago at the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes. Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 4 July 2026 Gabriel Garland, the Love Island UK Islander who was removed from the villa after being named in court documents in a stabbing incident, has broken his silence. Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for broken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken
Adjective
  • At some parties during the American Revolution, hosts suffered shattered glasses, servingware and even furniture.
    Brooke Barbier, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
  • The ex-president saw shattered tiles in the roadway and homeless people sleeping on street corners in a city whose police department had recommended drivers stay in the middle lane to avoid carjackers.
    Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 3 July 2026
Adjective
  • Located in Florina, in northwestern Greece, the region lies on a high plateau ringed by jagged peaks, with freshwater lakes below.
    Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • An important entry to the New Queer Cinema canon, Kar-wai’s drama is passionate, moody, and deeply evocative, tracing the jagged edges of an on-again, off-again romance in seedy 1990s Buenos Aires.
    Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 June 2026
Adjective
  • If visible pores or uneven texture is a concern for you at all, this primer is the ultimate solution.
    Jenna Curcio, InStyle, 25 June 2026
  • As with that earlier boom-and-bust cycle, the AI landscape is likely to yield uneven outcomes, according to Qian Wang, global head of capital market research at Vanguard, and senior global economist Kevin Khang.
    Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 25 June 2026
Verb
  • The dangerous temperatures have already disrupted several events scheduled for Friday.
    Erin McGarry, NBC news, 3 July 2026
  • The overlap of two warming patterns — one regional and one climate-scale — could compound stress on marine food webs that have already been repeatedly disrupted over the past decade.
    Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Large car rally disrupted in Baltimore Police said 36 traffic citations were issued and 54 vehicles were stopped after a large gathering of vehicles in the 1000 block of Wilson Drive in South Baltimore.
    Adam Thompson, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • The victim in the latest attack had stopped to swim with her boyfriend and friend in the Econlockhatchee River just north of Orlando Sunday afternoon when the alligator bit her, the FWC said in a press briefing.
    Julianna Bragg, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • Teng gets a ‘breather’ The Astros demoted Kai-Wei Teng to Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday.
    Chandler Rome, New York Times, 29 June 2026
  • She was transferred against her wishes from ELAC to Pierce College in Woodland Hills in May 1989 and was demoted from journalism head to an instructor, according to Times reporting.
    Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026
Verb
  • Its successor script, Linea B, was also a mystery until it was deciphered in 1952 by an amateur linguist and cryptographer Michael Ventris with the help of classicist John Chadwick, both building on patterns in the script first identified by classicist Alice Kober.
    Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 23 June 2026
  • The signature was deciphered with the help of AI, and specialists at auction house Lyon & Turnbull were able to confirm that Cadell was the artist.
    Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 20 June 2026
Verb
  • Assemblymember Alex Lee announced on Wednesday that $20 million in the 2026-27 fiscal budget has been allocated to restart the CalFresh Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Program after the program paused at the end of June due to a lack of funding.
    Lyanne Wang, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • The move prompted several lawsuits, and a federal judge last week paused the implementation of the lower limits while the cases work their way through the court system.
    Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 1 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Broken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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