Synonyms of broke
-
as in impoverished 
-
as in disrupted
-
as in ended
-
as in demoted
-
as in deciphered
-
as in paused
-
as in plowed
-
as in violated
-
as in solved
-
as in damaged
-
as in died
-
as in retreated
-
as in wore
-
as in circulated
-
as in ruined
-
as in began
-
as in veered
-
as in reduced
-
as in exceeded
-
as in surfaced
-
Example Sentences
-
Entries Near
as in impoverished
lacking money or material possessions
too broke to afford even a used car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ended
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
7
as in violated
to fail to keep
had to confess that he had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
9
as in damaged
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
10
as in died
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
11
as in retreated
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
12
as in wore
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
13
as in circulated
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
15
as in began
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
17
as in reduced
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples 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
Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 16 Sep. 2024
The founder of General Motors died a broke bowling alley operator.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 30 Sep. 2024
Lucy Ford, TIME, 21 Oct. 2024
North Carolina voters also broke the state’s record on the first day of early voting Thursday, when 353,166 ballots were cast, according to the State Board of Elections, despite concerns the devastation from Hurricane Helene would hinder poll access.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for broke 
Adjective
There’s an ongoing [saying] that after three to five years, professional athletes go broke.
—Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 16 Sep. 2024
The founder of General Motors died a broke bowling alley operator.
—Morgan Haefner, Quartz, 30 Sep. 2024
Verb
The internet of the late 2010s where A-listers and their fans broke digital bread together is no more, with most celebrities having learned the downside of letting people have too much access to their lives.
—Lucy Ford, TIME, 21 Oct. 2024
North Carolina voters also broke the state’s record on the first day of early voting Thursday, when 353,166 ballots were cast, according to the State Board of Elections, despite concerns the devastation from Hurricane Helene would hinder poll access.
—Sara Dorn, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for broke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for broke
Adjective
-
Unfortunately, in recent years, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) has embraced and promoted an impoverished worldview regarding gender and sexuality.Enquirer staff, The Enquirer, 29 Oct. 2024
-
On an international level, too..., one country’s climate response can easily leave another country impoverished, either through neglect, foolishness or outright malevolence.Saima S. Iqbal, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
Stewart said that companies like Apple and Amazon have disrupted the legacy system by entering writers’ rooms and cleaning house.Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 4 Oct. 2024
-
From 2015 to 2019, content spending surged as streamers built their audiences, but the 2020 COVID shutdown disrupted that trend.Gregg Goldstein, Variety, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
The medical condition that ended Henrik Lundqvist’s playing career has set him up to make his next great save.Carol Schram, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
-
The deal then closed the day after, so our bidding war ended three days after our actual premiere.Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
The legislation created a formal legal basis for discriminating against non-Jews and demoted the status of the Arab language, which until then had been an official language in Israel.Dahlia Scheindlin, Foreign Affairs, 27 Sep. 2024
-
Foreign experts can be swiftly deported or politely asked to leave, and local ones can be demoted with virtually no explanation.Calvert W. Jones, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2019
Verb
-
The distribution of Pandas in a Pennsylvania public school district led to a 2005 district court decision that determined the school board had violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.Samantha Riedel, Them, 4 Oct. 2024
-
And can anyone even count at this point how many times characters on this show have violated HIPAA?Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
But for the most part, automakers have solved that problem, the new study shows.Tanya Mohn, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
-
The hard technical problems have basically been solved—all that’s left now are the details, which will surely be worked out through market competition and old-fashioned entrepreneurship.David Karpf, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
The man, who wasn't immediately identified, died before Indianapolis Fire Department personnel arrived.Noe Padilla, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Oct. 2024
-
Helene has wreaked havoc on Zara's neighborhood and the wider county, where at least 72 people have died.Morgan Norwood, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
Down day Stocks retreated Tuesday as growing tensions in the Middle East overshadowed investor excitement for a strong quarter.Michele Luhn, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2024
-
Bonds and gold rose while stocks declined as investors retreated to safe havens.David Meyer, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near broke
Cite this Entry
“Broke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broke. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share