broke
verb
[ brəʊk ]
• past (and archaic past participle) of break1.
broke
adjective
• having completely run out of money.
• "he went broke owing two million pounds"
Similar:
penniless,
moneyless,
bankrupt,
insolvent,
poor,
poverty-stricken,
impoverished,
impecunious,
penurious,
indigent,
in penury,
needy,
destitute,
ruined,
down and out,
without a penny to one's name,
flat broke,
on one's uppers,
cleaned out,
strapped (for cash),
bust,
hard up,
without a bean,
without a sou,
as poor as a church mouse,
stony broke,
skint,
without a shot in one's locker,
on one's beam-ends,
without a brass farthing,
boracic (lint),
stone broke,
without a red cent,
break
verb
• separate or cause to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain.
• "the branch broke with a loud snap"
Similar:
shatter,
smash,
smash to smithereens,
crack,
snap,
fracture,
fragment,
splinter,
disintegrate,
fall to bits,
fall to pieces,
split,
burst,
blow out,
tear,
rend,
sever,
rupture,
separate,
divide,
bust,
shiver,
• interrupt (a sequence, course, or continuous state).
• "his concentration was broken by a sound"
• fail to observe (a law, regulation, or agreement).
• "the council says it will prosecute traders who break the law"
Similar:
contravene,
violate,
fail to comply with,
fail to observe,
disobey,
infringe,
breach,
commit a breach of,
transgress against,
defy,
flout,
fly in the face of,
ignore,
disregard,
infract,
Opposite:
keep,
abide by,
• crush the emotional strength, spirit, or resistance of.
• "the idea was to better the prisoners, not to break them"
• (of the weather) change suddenly, especially after a fine spell.
• "the weather broke and thunder rumbled through a leaden sky"
• (of news or a scandal) suddenly become public.
• "since the news broke I've received thousands of wonderful letters"
Similar:
erupt,
burst out,
break out,
• (chiefly of an attacking player or team, or of a military force) make a rush or dash in a particular direction.
• "Mitchell won possession and broke quickly, allowing Hughes to score"
Origin:
Old English brecan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Dutch breken and German brechen, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin frangere ‘to break’.
