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

See Examples For:

go broke

Barring that, it never hurts to channel Helen Lovejoy from “The Simpsons”: You won’t go broke thinking about how we should all think of the children.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026

Just don’t take Moore’s advice too seriously; you might go broke instead of getting rich.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

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

"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