broke
broke Lexical Profile
broke Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Having completely run out of money; lacking funds or financial resources (informal).
"After paying for tuition and textbooks, the college student was completely broke until his next paycheck."
• verb
To separate or cause to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain (past tense of 'break').
"She accidentally dropped the ceramic vase, and it broke into several pieces on the tile floor."
To fail to observe a law, regulation, agreement, or promise (past tense of 'break').
"The company broke the terms of the contract by failing to deliver the materials on schedule."
To interrupt a sequence, continuity, or silence, or to pause briefly for rest (past tense of 'break').
"The committee members broke for lunch at noon before resuming their afternoon session."
To surpass or do better than a previously established record or achievement (past tense of 'break').
"The sprinter broke the national record by a tenth of a second during the championship finals."
Word Nuance & Usage
In standard English, 'broke' is the simple past tense of 'break' and should not be used as the past participle ('broken') after auxiliary verbs; however, it functions independently as an informal predicate adjective meaning 'out of money'.
• Rhymes for broke
Word Origin & Etymology
Derived from Old English 'bræc', the past tense of 'brecan' (to break), with its vowel later influenced by the past participle 'broken'. The informal adjectival sense meaning 'penniless' developed in the 17th century from an archaic past participle usage.