What does "broke" mean?
Paper or board that is discarded and repulped during the manufacturing process.
Broke
/bɹəʊk/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Paper or board that is discarded and repulped during the manufacturing process.
- Grammar: broke is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bankrupt, beat, beggared, breach.
- Useful contrasts: financial standing, flushest, most solvent.
- Usage evidence: I'd love to go with you to the show, but I'm flat broke.
How to use "broke"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "broke" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "broke" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "broke" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "broke" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "broke" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bankrupt" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "broke", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 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."
- 2 A fragment, remains, a piece broken off. obsolete
"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?"
Verb
- 1 simple past of break form-of, past
- 2 To act as a broker; to transact business for another; synonym of broker.
"Agents broking with various other carriers can offer additional options."
- 3 past participle of break archaic, form-of, nonstandard, participle, past, poetic
"Accordingly, he came with a mob the next day; and after they had broke all the windows..."
- 4 To act as procurer in love matters; to pimp. obsolete
"But we do want a certain necessary / Woman, to broke between them CUPID said;"
Adjective
- 1 Financially ruined, bankrupt. informal, not-comparable, usually
"He was broke after spending all his money into video games."
- 2 Broke off, rich, wealthy slang
- 3 Without any money, penniless. informal, not-comparable, usually
"dead broke; flat broke"
- 4 Broken. archaic, informal, not-comparable, usually
"If it ain’t broke, don't fix it."
- 5 Demoted, deprived of a commission. not-comparable, usually
"He was broke and rendered unfit to serve His Majesty at sea."
Adjective
- 1 lacking funds wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"I'd love to go with you to the show, but I'm flat broke."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "broke"?
Common synonyms include: bankrupt, beat, beggared, breach, broken, bust.
How do you use "broke" in a sentence?
I'd love to go with you to the show, but I'm flat broke.
How do you pronounce "broke"?
Pronounced /bɹəʊk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Ablauted form of break.
Etymology 2
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”).
Etymology 3
Back-formation from broker.
Etymology 4
Clipping of broke off.