What does "broach" mean?
A series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel. For example, the toothed stone chisel shown here.
Broach
/bɹoʊt͡ʃ/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel. For example, the toothed stone chisel shown here.
- Grammar: broach is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: advance, agitate, air, auger.
- Useful contrasts: close, conceal, seal.
- Usage evidence: Anyway, I'm glad you were able to broach this difficult subject.
How to use "broach"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "broach" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "broach" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "broach" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "broach" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "broach" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "advance" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "broach", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A series of chisel points mounted on one piece of steel. For example, the toothed stone chisel shown here.
- 2 a decorative pin worn by women wordnet
- 3 A broad chisel for stone-cutting.
- 4 Alternative spelling of brooch. alt-of, alternative
"Mr. S. had a large straw hat, and striped jacket and trousers, and his shirt fastened at the throat by a broach with Carry's hair, for he was always quite above wearing a neckcloth."
- 5 A spit for cooking food.
"He turned a broach that had worn a crown."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 An awl; a bodkin; also, a wooden rod or pin, sharpened at each end, used by thatchers.
"It [the straw] is laid on to a considerable thickness and firmly secured by ropes or twisted straw, and pinned down by sharpened sticks called 'broaches'"
- 7 A spire rising from a tower. UK, dialectal
- 8 A spit-like start on the head of a young stag.
- 9 The stick from which candle wicks are suspended for dipping.
- 10 The pin in a lock which enters the barrel of the key.
Verb
- 1 To make a hole in, especially a cask of liquor, and put in a tap in order to draw the liquid. transitive
"How often has the broached barrel proved not to be for joy and heart effusion, but for duel and head-breakage."
- 2 To be turned sideways to oncoming waves, especially large or breaking waves. intransitive
"The small boat broached and nearly sank, because of the large waves."
- 3 bring up a topic for discussion wordnet
- 4 To open, to make an opening into; to pierce. transitive
"French knights at Agincourt were unable to broach the English line."
- 5 To cause to turn sideways to oncoming waves, especially large or breaking waves (usually followed by to; also figurative). transitive
"18th C, Thomas Dibdin, Tom Bowling Here a sheer hulk lies poor Tom Bowling ... for death hath broached him to."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To begin discussion about (something). figuratively, transitive
"I broached the subject of contraceptives carefully when the teenager mentioned his promiscuity."
- 7 To break the surface of the water. intransitive
"The Politovskiy soared through the surface of the Atlantic like a broaching whale, coming three quarters of her length out of the water before crashing back."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 Obsolete form of Bharuch. alt-of, obsolete
Example
"Anyway, I'm glad you were able to broach this difficult subject."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "broach"?
Common synonyms include: advance, agitate, air, auger, begin, bite.
How do you use "broach" in a sentence?
Anyway, I'm glad you were able to broach this difficult subject.
How do you pronounce "broach"?
Pronounced /bɹoʊt͡ʃ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English broche, from Old French broche, from Vulgar Latin *brocca, originally a feminine form of Latin broccus, perhaps ultimately of Gaulish origin (see Scottish Gaelic bròg). Doublet of brochure.
Etymology 2
From Gujarati ભરૂચ (bharūc).