stone-broke
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of stone-broke
First recorded in 1885–90
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.
But the heroes of “The Beaux’ Stratagem” – two well-mannered but stone-broke gentlemen in search of marriageable heiresses – are far more respectful of the opposite sex than the love-‘em-and-leave-‘em 007 usually is.
From New York Times ● Sep. 15, 2015
Betty had fetched up on the rectory doorstep last February, stone-broke and despondent about four divorces and a dead-end acting career.
From Time Magazine Archive
But a stone-broke Evans has lost her home.
From Time Magazine Archive
Being stone-broke when you go on board doesn't matter if you ship forward; but aft, to start with bare pockets may get you a bad name.
From The Recipe for Diamonds by Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne
"But you," said Forrest to the earl, "what would you do if you were stone-broke?"
From The Spread Eagle and Other Stories by Gouverneur Morris
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.
