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broke

verbadjectivenounverbadjectivetop 1 000 in film dialogue

  • United Kingdom//ˈbɹəʊ̯k//
  • Canada//ˈbɹoʊ̯k//
  • Canada//ˈbɹɔʊ̯k//
  • //bɹɒk//

Financially ruined, bankrupt.

verb

  1. 1

    Also a form of breaksimple past of break

  2. 2

    Also a form of breakarchaicpast participle of break

    Accordingly, he came with a mob the next day; and after they had broke all the windows...

    The horse was the grey stallion he aye rode, the very beast he had ridden for many a wager with the wild lads of the Cross Keys. No man but himself durst back it, and it had lamed many a hostler lad and broke two necks in its day.

    1999 October 3, J. Stewart Burns, "Mars University", Futurama, season 2, episode 2, Fox Broadcasting Company Guenther: I guess the hat must have broke my fall.

Etymology

Ablauted form of break.

adjective

  1. 1

    informalFinancially 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.

  2. 2

    informalWithout any money, penniless.

    dead broke; flat broke

  3. 3

    archaicBroken.

    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;

    I can't get used to living here / While my heart is broke, my tears I cry for you

    Watkins notified the shop foreman immediately, whereupon the car was inspected and found to have a broke axle.

  4. 4

    Demoted, deprived of a commission.

    He was broke and rendered unfit to serve His Majesty at sea.

noun

  1. 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.

    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.

    These mills purchase broke from other paper mills through middlemen and use it to make paper.

  2. 2

    obsoleteA 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?

Etymology

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”).

verb

  1. 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 exchange

    […]because the Spanish equity market was substantially over-broked even at the height of its bull market, with over 50 brokers servicing the market.

  2. 2

    obsoleteTo act as procurer in love matters; to pimp.

    But we do want a certain necessary / Woman, to broke between them CUPID said;

    And brokes with all that can in such a suit / Corrupt the tender honour of a maid.

Etymology

Back-formation from broker.

adjective

  1. 1

    slangBroke off, rich, wealthy

Etymology

Clipping of broke off.

Forms

plural
brokes
comparative
broker, more broke
superlative
brokest, most broke
past tense
broked
past participle
broked
present participle
broking
third person singular
brokes
The neighbouring pagesAlphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.

Lexical content from Wiktionary, under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source entry · Data version 2026-08-23

Rank among the words of the OpenSubtitles 2018 corpus — film and television subtitles, so spoken rather than written usage (CC BY-SA 3.0).