Synonyms of broken
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as in shattered
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1
as in shattered
forcibly separated into many pieces
a broken vase that could not be repaired
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2
as in jagged
having an uneven edge or outline
the broken rim of the antique vase greatly reduces its value
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3
as in uneven
not having a level or smooth surface
that portion of the hiking trail consists of a long, broken mountain ridge
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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
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2
as in stopped
to bring (as an action or operation) to an immediate end
the final vote broke the deadlock
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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
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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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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
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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
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7
as in violated
to fail to keep
had to confess that he had broken his promise not to share their conversation with anyone
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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
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9
as in damaged
to reduce the soundness, effectiveness, or perfection of
I broke a tooth on the hard candy
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10
as in stalled
to stop functioning
after working for 30 years, the pump simply broke one day
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11
as in bolted
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
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12
as in worn
to use up all the physical energy of
the trek up the mountain just about broke me
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13
as in unfolded
to become known
as soon as the scandal broke, the CEO fled the country
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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
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15
as in originated
to come into existence
the crisis had passed, and a new day was breaking
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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
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17
as in reduced
to diminish the price or value of
distressing economic news that will break many energy stocks
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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
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of broken
Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 9 Jan. 2026
Coon’s Agnes is a broken woman desperately looking for companionship following the devastating loss of her son and the physical and emotional violence inflicted on her by her ex-husband.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 9 Jan. 2026
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 9 Jan. 2026
Only a handful of teams have ever broken even, and the league’s revenue, while growing to $200 million in 2024, pales in comparison to the NBA’s billions.
—Nafees Alam, Boston Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for broken
Adjective
Police recovered a weapon from the scene, which was later determined to be a shard of a broken toilet seat, sources said.
—Verb
The series has broken audience records as the largest global premiere week for originals for the service.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for broken
Adjective
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Yamamoto earned his third victory, a 5-4 triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays that ended in the 11th inning on the shattered bat of Alejandro Kirk, who tapped a splitter to Mookie Betts at shortstop for a season-ending double play.—
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The second suspect, a 39-year-old man also from Aubervilliers, was already known to police for thefts; his DNA was discovered on the shattered display case and other items left behind.—
Adjective
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The site was chosen for its abundant sunshine, spring water, mountain air, and views of the jagged Odle massif, which is framed by picture windows in all 62 minimalist suites.—
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Police shot and killed a patient armed with the jagged shard of a broken toilet seat inside Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn on Thursday, law enforcement sources told the Daily News.—
Adjective
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Future work will focus on integrating snow-deposition modeling with PV yield simulations to more accurately predict energy losses and on expanding analyses to more complex, uneven alpine terrain.—
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The Trojans' uneven season hasn't exactly helped slow rumors either.—
Verb
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The Lakers disrupted alley-oop attempts to Castle and Luke Kornet in the opening minutes.—
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During a three-game losing streak that began with a loss to Arkansas State, Arkansas has been turnover prone and seen its dribble-drive offense disrupted.—
Verb
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Ross, who was one of several federal agents involved in the arrest, initially drew his service weapon, but holstered the gun after Muñoz-Guatemala stopped his car and raised his hands, according to the affidavit.—
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Braddy stopped the car, got Quantisha back inside, and put Shandelle in the trunk, before driving for 30 to 45 minutes.—
Verb
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In a post on X, Hegseth announced that Kelly was being demoted for a video from November.—
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As an indication of how badly things went, consider that during the season the Dolphins fired their general manager (Chris Grier) and demoted their quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa).—
Verb
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The sun dances to its own (currently less-than-deciphered) rhythms, moving through an 11-year-long cycle.—
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At first this voice from the heavens has seemingly sent a benign message but it’s quickly deciphered to be a DNA cocktail for Earthlings to investigate.—
Verb
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As of the end of the 2025 model year, the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe, and Chrysler Pacifica PHEV have all officially been discontinued—not paused or back-burnered.—
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The live-action adaptation of the beloved Disney film was first announced in December 2024, but the studio paused the project in April 2025.—
Cite this Entry
“Broken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/broken. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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