broke
Americanverb
adjective
-
without money; penniless.
- Synonyms:
- impoverished, destitute, insolvent
-
- Synonyms:
- impoverished, destitute, insolvent
noun
-
Papermaking. paper unfit for sale; paper that is to be repulped.
-
brokes, wool of poor quality taken from the neck and belly of sheep.
idioms
-
go broke,
-
to become destitute of money or possessions.
-
to go bankrupt.
In that business people are forever going broke.
-
-
go for broke, to exert oneself or employ one's resources to the utmost.
verb
adjective
-
informal having no money; bankrupt
-
slang to risk everything in a gambling or other venture
Etymology
Origin of broke
First recorded in 1655–65 for the adjective; 1875–80 for the noun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As dawn broke, large areas of the usually busy capital were deserted and shops remained shuttered.
From Barron's
Mr. Amodei broke with his competitors by endorsing a Biden executive order that imposed federal oversight of AI models.
That same year, Charles Ponzi arrived in America, nearly broke, having gambled away his savings on the voyage from his native Italy.
From Barron's
That same year, Charles Ponzi arrived in America, nearly broke, having gambled away his savings on the voyage from his native Italy.
From Barron's
No one’s going to believe this really broke.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
