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Synonyms

broke

American  
[brohk] / broʊk /

verb

  1. a simple past tense of break.

  2. Nonstandard. a past participle of break.

  3. Archaic. a past participle of break.

adjective

  1. without money; penniless.

    Synonyms:
    impoverished, destitute, insolvent

  2. bankrupt.

    Synonyms:
    impoverished, destitute, insolvent

noun

  1. Papermaking. paper unfit for sale; paper that is to be repulped.

  2. brokes, wool of poor quality taken from the neck and belly of sheep.

idioms

  1. go broke,

    1. to become destitute of money or possessions.

    2. to go bankrupt.

      In that business people are forever going broke.

  2. go for broke, to exert oneself or employ one's resources to the utmost.

broke British  
/ brəʊk /

verb

  1. the past tense of break

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. informal having no money; bankrupt

  2. slang to risk everything in a gambling or other venture

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
broke More Idioms  

  1. see flat broke; go broke; go for (broke); if it ain't broke don't fix it. Also see under break.

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.

Formed in 2010, Turnstile broke into the mainstream with the 2021 album “Glow On,” which earned the band its first Grammy nominations.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

Broucke broke “Masquerade” into 15-minute cyclical story blocks that are repeated six times.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

The family were asleep when the fire broke out in the early hours of 15 October 2012, quickly engulfing their Barn Mead home in flames and smoke.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Plaza later broke her silence about her struggle to deal with her grief, telling fellow comedian Amy Poehler that her devastation felt like a “giant ocean of awfulness.”

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

When the ice on the big river broke up, he and Peter Avakoff took their teams into the hills north of the village, where deep snow still lay on the ground.

From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell

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.