broke

1 of 2

past tense of break

broke

2 of 2

adjective

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
The worst combination: a driver who was broke and dangerous. Jared Lemus, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024 The result has been a series of battered, broke and bad candidates who have underscored a yearslong power struggle between the party’s right-wing base and old-guard establishment. Shane Goldmacher, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 In order for small businesses to continue to be profitable and not go broke on the additional expense of payroll, add employee tax break. Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Feb. 2024 The state party moved to a new headquarters last year but nearly went broke as donors wary of racking up more election losses dried up. USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2024 The film was innovative and broke barriers when it was released. Cheaper by the Dozen Originally released in 1950, and remade in 2003, a new remake of Cheaper by the Dozen was released in March of 2022. Kimanzi Constable, Parents, 4 Feb. 2024 At a time when the little people are broke and resentful, his personal wealth and the wealth and influence of his wife’s family are electoral handicaps. Dominic Green, Washington Examiner, 12 Jan. 2024 Creator Lee Sung Jin accepts the prize for directing a limited or anthology series for the twisty road-rage drama, which was inspired by his own encounter on the freeways of L.A. Lee recalled moving here as a broke aspiring writer with 60 cents in his checking account. Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 15 Jan. 2024 Whatever chaos Ava may relentlessly drag into the workplace is nothing in comparison to dealing with a broke school system that does nothing to support its students. Vulture, 11 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'broke.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, alteration of broken

First Known Use

Adjective

1710, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of broke was in 1710

Dictionary Entries Near broke

Cite this Entry

“Broke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/broke. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on broke

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!