rhizoverbBeta
DictionarybrokeWithout money
adjective

broke

BROHK/brəʊk/

having little or no money

I cannot afford dinner out because I am broke.

An adult turns out an empty wallet beside a small pile of bills with abstract unreadable bars; temporary money shortage, respectful expression.
Etymology
brokeOld Englishto break

From a verb meaning “break,” broke was originally a past participle. “Broken” extended to financial ruin or insolvency, giving the present sense of having little or no money.

In context

USDtv1:48
we were so broke we had no money
Priory Interview

More examples

  • She was completely broke after paying the rent.
  • He went broke trying to start a business.
  • They felt broke even before the repair bill arrived.

Forms

broke

Similar words

penniless
Stronger; suggests having no money at all.
impoverished
Suggests sustained poverty rather than a temporary lack of cash.