Word.ws English Dictionary

broke

UK/ˈbɹəʊ̯k/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Northumbria/bɹɒk/

broke is the simple past of break.

broke is the past participle of break.

Adjective (1)

broke (not generally comparable, comparative broker or more broke, superlative brokest or most broke)

  1. (informal, not comparable, usually) Financially ruined, bankrupt.
    • He was broke after spending all his money into video games.
    • It seems some of his Creditors have taken notice of it, and he was like to be broke yesterday in his absence.1665 July 6, Samuel Pepys, Vol. VI, p. 150
  2. (informal, not comparable, usually) Without any money, penniless.
    • dead broke; flat broke
  3. (archaic, informal, not comparable, usually) Broken.
    • If it ain’t broke, don't fix it.
    • If the farmer is seriously injured by the depressed state of the markets, his spirit is broke, and there must ensue a very general discredit with regard to the farming business;1822, William Wolryche Whitmore, A Letter on the Present State and Future Prospects of Agriculture, page 53
  4. (not comparable, usually) Demoted, deprived of a commission.
    • He was broke and rendered unfit to serve His Majesty at sea.

Noun

broke (plural brokes)

  1. Paper or board that is discarded and repulped during the manufacturing process.
    • If the broke accumulates, a larger proportion can be used in making coloured papers, otherwise the above quantity is sufiicient.1880, James Dunbar, The Practical Papermaker: A Complete Guide to the Manufacture of Paper, page 12
    • Presumably, most of the brokes and waste were used up in this manner, and during the manufacture of the coarse stuff little or no attention was paid to either cleanliness or colour.1914, The World's Paper Trade Review Volume 62, page 204
  2. (obsolete) A fragment, remains, a piece broken off.
    • Why dost though linger, then, / To hear the flatteries of these men of rags? / These bankrupt beggar-men, / Whose riches are the broke meat in their bags?1855, January Searle, Poems, page 4

Verb

broke (third-person singular simple present brokes, present participle broking, simple past and past participle broked)

  1. To act as a broker; to transact business for another; synonym of broker.
    • Agents broking with various other carriers can offer additional options.
    • The only evidence of bill-broking is, that he has often been a party to bills of exchange1837, Comprising Reports of Cases in the Courts of Chancery […]
  2. (obsolete) To act as procurer in love matters; to pimp.
    • But we do want a certain necessary / Woman, to broke between them CUPID said;1655 [1572], Luís de Camões, translated by Richard Fanshawe, The Lusiad, translation of original in Portuguese, Canto IX, stanza 44
    • And brokes with all that can in such a suit / Corrupt the tender honour of a maid.c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward]...

Meaning of break

Verb

break (third-person singular simple present breaks, present participle breaking, simple past broke or (archaic) brake, past participle broken or (nonstandard) broke)

  1. (ergative, intransitive, transitive) To separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly.
    • If the vase falls to the floor, it might break.
    1. (ergative, intransitive, transitive) To crack or fracture (bone) under a physical strain.
      • His ribs broke under the weight of the rocks piled on his chest.
    2. (ergative, intransitive, transitive) To make the first shot; to scatter the balls from the initial neat arrangement.
      • Is it your or my turn to break?
    3. (ergative, figuratively, intransitive, transitive) To divide (something, often money) into smaller units.
      • Can you break a hundred-dollar bill for me?
    4. (ergative, figuratively, intransitive, transitive) To use a high-value denomination of currency, thus necessitating being given change in smaller denominations.
      • I don't want to break my hundred dollar bill.
    5. (ergative, intransitive, transitive) To change the orderliness or compactness of an arrangement.
      • The soldier broke formation.

See all 103 meanings of break

Adjective (2)

broke (comparative more broke, superlative most broke)

  1. (slang) Broke off, rich, wealthy

Proper noun capitalized: Broke

Broke

  1. A locality in the Singleton council area, eastern New South Wales, Australia.

Synonyms of broke

30 more synonymsFewer synonyms

Forms of broke

Adjective
comparativebroker
comparativemore broke
superlativebrokest
superlativemost broke
Noun
pluralbrokes
Verb
third-person singular presentbrokes
present participlebroking
past participlebroked
pastbroked

Origin of broke

Ablauted form of break.

From Middle English broce, from Old English gebroc (“fragment”), from brecan (“to break”). Compare broken, past participle of break. Compare also Scots brock (“a scrap of meat or bread”).

Back-formation from broker.

Words formed from broke

Phrases with broke

98 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with broke

42 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about broke

What does broke mean?
Broke means financially ruined, bankrupt.
What is broke the simple past of?
Broke is the simple past of break.
What part of speech is broke?
Broke can be an adjective, a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce broke?
Broke is pronounced /ˈbɹəʊ̯k/ (UK).

Words near broke in the dictionary

  1. brojobs
  2. brokage
  3. brokages
  4. Brokaw
  5. Brokaws
  6. broke
  7. broke a butterfly on a wheel
  8. broke a butterfly on the wheel
  9. broke a butterfly upon a wheel
  10. broke a butterfly upon the wheel
  11. broke a fly on a wheel

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: broke (page history and authors); Broke (page history and authors); break (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-broke.ogg.

Cite this entry: “broke.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/broke. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.