Word · Frequency #18615
broke
身无分文；没钱
having no money; lacking funds
- 1.
lacking funds
缺乏资金
缺乏资金；一文不名的；break的过去式
In use
I can't go to the concert because I'm broke this month.
After paying the rent, she was completely broke.
Being broke forced him to find a part-time job.
be broke
表示状态，主语通常为人。
I'm broke until payday.
我直到发薪日都一文不名。
go broke
表示从有钱到没钱的变化过程。
Many small businesses went broke during the recession.
许多小企业在经济衰退期间破产了。
flat broke
强调完全没钱，彻底破产。
After the trip, we were flat broke.
旅行之后，我们身无分文。
Common mistakes
I am broken.I am broke.
形容词'broke'表示'没钱的'，而'broken'是'break'的过去分词，意为'破碎的'。学习者易混淆形近词。
He is poor because he lost his job.He is broke because he lost his job.
'broke'强调暂时缺钱，'poor'通常指长期贫穷。失业导致的临时经济困难用'broke'更准确。
Connections
Collocations
- go broke
- 破产；资金耗尽
- Many small businesses go broke in their first year.许多小企业在第一年就破产了。
- flat broke
- 身无分文
- I'd love to come, but I'm flat broke.我很想去，但我身无分文。
- completely broke
- 彻底没钱了
- After paying the rent, she was completely broke.付完房租后，她彻底没钱了。
- broke college student
- 没钱的大学生
- As a broke college student, I ate instant noodles every day.作为一个没钱的大学生，我天天吃方便面。
Idioms & figurative uses
- flat broke
- 身无分文After paying the rent, I was flat broke.付完房租后，我身无分文。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
联想break的过去式：钱包破了(broke)，钱漏光，所以broke=身无分文。
Context & Register
语域：informal 常见场景：口语对话、朋友聊天、非正式场合 broke 表示“没钱”时多用于非正式口语，通常出现在日常对话或朋友闲聊中，正式书面语中比较少见。
Grammar Note
broke作形容词仅表示'一文不名'，不可与动词break的过去式混淆。
Pronunciation & Spelling
以上词与 broke 的 /əuk/ 音押韵：woke、spoke、joke、smoke 都以 -oke 拼写并读 /əuk/；oak、cloak 拼写不同但读音相同。注意：break /breɪk/（brake）与 broke 形近但不同音；book /bʊk/、brook /brʊk/ 的拼写也容易混淆，均不押韵。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 1，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WORDNET.