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.
Shinsegae Group, which operates Starbucks under a licensing agreement, fired its Korea chief executive the very day news of the scandal broke, and apologised.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
Just before 01:00 BST on 14 June 2017, fire broke out in the kitchen of a fourth floor flat before spreading through the whole building.
From BBC • Jun. 14, 2026
Another online survey from 2025 broke bisexuality down into eight different categories including “sometimes same-sex attracted” and “wants some future same-gender sex encounter.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026
But some drone pilots broke those rules and law enforcement officials cited them for the alleged violations, the FBI in Los Angeles said in a social media post on Saturday.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
When Hugo said that, my heart broke in a thousand different ways.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
