definitions

flat broke

Also, stone or stony broke. 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.

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RELATED WORDS

needy, penniless, impoverished, destitute, poverty-stricken, bankrupt, broke, indigent, underprivileged, meager, low, insolvent, poor, strapped, exhausted, distressed, barren, flat, down-and-out, scanty

Nearby words

flat arch, flat as a pancake, flat back, flat bond, flat bone, flat broke, flat bug, flat cap, flat character, flat chest, flat condyloma
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Examples from the Web for flat broke

  • At last he says to me, 'You are flat-broke, and they'll all be down on you when you get back to the post.

    The Deserter|Charles King