Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Bankrupt.
  • adjective Lacking funds.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Preterit and (with broken) past participle of break.
  • noun A breach.
  • noun An obsolete form of brook.
  • A Middle English form of brook.
  • To transact business for another in trade; act as agent in buying and selling and other commercial business; carry on the business of a broker.
  • To act as a go-between or procurer in love matters; pimp.
  • To transact business by means of an agent.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • imp. & p. p. of break.
  • intransitive verb rare To transact business for another.
  • intransitive verb obsolete To act as procurer in love matters; to pimp.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective informal Lacking money; bankrupt
  • adjective informal Broken.
  • verb Simple past of break.
  • verb Past participle of break

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective lacking funds

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word broke.

Examples

  • \ ''; yahooBuzzArticleSummary = 'Guess it isn\'t a catastrophe for a man with a guaranteed government paycheck and the best health care benefits your \'broke, broke, broke\' taxpayers\ 'dollar s can afford?

    OpEdNews - Quicklink: GOP Sen. Kyl: It's ��dangerous' and ��careless' to describe a potential depression as a 'catastrophe.' 2009

  • With "How Will I Know," Houston and the label broke through an implicit policy at MTV—a force in the industry at the time—which in effect limited the number of African-Americans and other minority artists in its rotation.

    We'll Remember Her Bright Dignity Jim Fusilli 2012

  • Something in her expression broke when I said that.

    The Faculty Club Danny Tobey 2010

  • A door slamming and voices below calling my name broke through my stupor, and prompted me to struggle to a sitting position.

    The Haunted Jessica Verday 2010

  • Something in her expression broke when I said that.

    The Faculty Club Danny Tobey 2010

  • Something in her expression broke when I said that.

    The Faculty Club Danny Tobey 2010

  • Something in her expression broke when I said that.

    The Faculty Club Danny Tobey 2010

  • Why would I …, Alek began, but then his expression broke into a smile.

    Behemoth Mr. Scott Westerfeld 2010

  • Something in her expression broke when I said that.

    The Faculty Club Danny Tobey 2010

  • Note the way the word broke into two spellings: the verb broach, meaning to “open up, introduce, address,” and the noun brooch, meaning “an ornamental pin sticking through a garment.”

    No Uncertain Terms William Safire 2003

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • I enjoy using this as a past participle in certain social contexts. (Picked it up while working IT one summer.)

    December 18, 2010