go broke

Idioms  

1. Also, go bust. Undergo financial collapse, lose most or all of one's money. For example, The company's about to go broke, or The producer of that movie went bust. The first expression dates from the mid-1600s; the second, slangier variant dates from the mid-1800s.

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Example Sentences

You might spend a bundle on merchandise, but you’re unlikely to go broke buying food.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

An estimated 78% of NFL players go bankrupt or are under financial stress within two years of retirement, according to CNBC, while 60% of NBA players go broke or bankrupt within five years of retirement.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 20, 2025

Sometimes you go broke and tell your funny story about the importance of due diligence to young investors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025

"At least back home in Nigeria, if you go broke, I can find my sister or my parents and go and eat free food. It's not the same here. You will go hungry."

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2025

"Good thing this meeting wasn't held in my restaurant, I'd go broke passing out free tea, if you call this tea."

From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

Related Words

• break
• close
• drop
• end
• finish