Meaning & use
flat broke
Last updated
UK/ˌflæt ˈbrəʊk/
US/ˌflæt ˈbroʊk/
Meaning
adjectiveafter a verbinformal
Having no money at all, or almost none.
Grammar: Usually follows be, go, or end up: I am flat broke.
Patterns
- be flat broke
- go flat broke
I can't come out tonight; I'm flat broke until payday.
After paying the rent and the car repairs, we were flat broke.
The company went flat broke within a year of opening.
Common combinations
- be flat broke
- By the end of the trip we were flat broke.
- go flat broke
- The small shop went flat broke last winter.
- end up flat broke
- He ended up flat broke after the lawsuit.
- flat broke and homeless
- She arrived in the city flat broke and without a place to stay.
Synonyms and how they differ
- penniless
- Slightly more formal and literary, and describes a lasting lack of money.
- skint
- British slang; usually a temporary shortage of cash.
- bankrupt
- A legal and financial status, not just a lack of cash.
Opposites
Word family
- broke adjective
- having no money
Commonly confused: flat broke or broken?
flat broke vs broken
Broken means damaged or not working. Broke, used for money, means you have none.
Practice
After buying the tickets, I was ___ until the end of the month.
Choose one answer.
Flat broke is the fixed informal phrase for having no money. Broken means damaged, and the other orders are not used.
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