broke

1 of 2

ˈbrōk 

past tense of break

broke

2 of 2

adjective

: penniless

Synonyms of broke

Adjective

• poor
• impoverished
• bankrupt
• beggared
• deprived

Examples of broke in a Sentence

Adjective

She is broke and homeless.

Can I borrow 10 dollars? I'm broke until payday.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

While figuring out the legal bureaucracies surrounding Sam’s money, the working-class siblings complain about their physical proximity to their broke friends. — Paula Mejía, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

The Democratic National Committee is both broke and broken, a New York Times bombshell last weekend detailed. — Philip Elliott, Time, 3 Aug. 2026

News reports warn that Social Security is running out of money, going broke. — Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 22 July 2026

The pat explanation for this shift is that people are just too busy, too broke, and too brain-melted to read serious books any more. — Literary Hub, 15 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, alteration of broken

First Known Use

Adjective

1662, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing broke

• broke the color bar
• broke the color line
• broke the tape
• flat broke
• go broke
• go for broke
• if it ain't broke, don't fix it
• stone broke
• stony broke
• the straw that breaks/broke the camel's back
• They broke the mold

Rhymes for broke

• bloke
• boeck
• choke
• cloak
• cloke
• croak
• folk
• hoke
• joke
• moke
• oak
• poke

Kids Definition

broke

1 of 2

past of break

broke

2 of 2 adjective

ˈbrōk

: having no money : penniless

Medical Definition

broke

past of break

Legal Definition

broke

past of break