flat broke

1. Also,. Completely penniless. For example, I can't help you—I'm flat broke, or He's stone broke again. The first term dates from the mid-1800s and uses flat in the sense of “completely” or “downright.” The variant dates from the late 1800s.

Example Sentences

The woman making the request, Suerkis Polanco, explained that her family was flat broke and facing eviction from their “chete” in early January.

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When he was first elected in 1979, he was flat broke.

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“That’s weird”—I paused to lick my finger—“because she was whining all last week about being flat broke. Girls, go figure.”

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Although Haupt was a dapper dresser, he was a big spender and flat broke.

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He almost quit the business when, flat broke and frustrated that the city’s North Side clubs were white and not booking jazz and the South Side venues weren’t paying decent wages, he nearly sold his vibraphone and got a regular job.

Read more on New York Times

Related Words

• bankrupt 
• exhausted 
• impoverished 
• indigent 
• insolvent 
• needy 
• penniless 
• poor 
• poverty-stricken 
• strapped