50 Idioms for Being Broke (Meanings & Examples)

Idioms are creative phrases where the words together mean something different from what they say literally. People use them to add humor, color, and vivid imagery to conversation and writing. In this lesson, we will explore special idioms and descriptive expressions that help us talk about financial hardship, poverty, having empty pockets, and struggling to pay the bills.

Let’s look at expressions that capture what it means to be broke.

Idioms for Being Broke

1. Skint

Definition: A common informal British expression meaning to have completely run out of money.

Used in a Sentence: After paying for car repairs and rent, he was completely skint until his next paycheck. / She couldn’t join us for dinner because she was broke and skint.

SimilarExpressions: Penniless / Out of cash

2. Flat broke

Definition: Having zero money left in your bank account or pockets.

Used in a Sentence: He spent his last dollar on groceries and was now flat broke until payday. / Starting a business left them flat broke for the first six months.

SimilarExpressions: Completely broke / Destitute

3. Hard up

Definition: Experiencing a temporary or persistent shortage of cash and struggling to afford necessities.

Used in a Sentence: The family was feeling a bit hard up after unexpected medical bills piled up. / If you aren’t too hard up, could you lend me a hand with lunch?

SimilarExpressions: Financially strapped / Short of cash

4. Not have a penny to one’s name

Definition: To be entirely destitute without any financial resources or savings.

Used in a Sentence: When he lost his job and apartment, he didn’t have a penny to his name. / She started her career with nothing more than ambition and not a penny to her name.

SimilarExpressions: Penniless / Completely broke

5. On the breadline

Definition: Living in extreme poverty, barely earning enough money to buy basic food.

Used in a Sentence: Millions of citizens were pushed onto the breadline during the severe economic depression. / Growing up on the breadline taught him the true value of every dollar.

SimilarExpressions: Impoverished / Struggling to survive

6. Out of pocket

(Or: Out of funds / Pocket empty)

Strapped for cash

Definition: Experiencing an immediate, urgent lack of available money for expenses.

Used in a Sentence: I would love to buy that jacket, but I am too strapped for cash this week. / The project exceeded its budget, leaving the department strapped for cash.

SimilarExpressions: Short of money / Cash-strapped

7. Living from hand to mouth

Definition: Spending money as fast as you earn it just to cover immediate survival needs, with no savings.

Used in a Sentence: During his early years as an artist, he lived from hand to mouth, selling paintings just to buy groceries. / Working gig-to-gig kept them living from hand to mouth for years.

SimilarExpressions: Surviving paycheck to paycheck / Barely getting by

8. Broke as a church mouse

Definition: Extremely poor or completely out of money.

Used in a Sentence: After buying his textbooks, college student Leo was broke as a church mouse. / You can’t expect a broke-as-a-church-mouse freelancer to afford luxury vacations.

SimilarExpressions: Destitute / Penniless

9. On its last legs

(Alternative adjustment: Let’s use Penniless idiom variation)

Down on one’s uppers

Definition: Suffering from extreme poverty and financial distress, often wearing out your shoes because you cannot buy new ones.

Used in a Sentence: After his restaurant failed, he found himself down on his uppers and looking for any job. / She helped her friend when he was down on his uppers.

SimilarExpressions: Destitute / Experiencing hard times

10. Breaking the bank

(Negative form: Not breaking the bank / Going for broke)

Cleaning out one’s savings

Definition: Spending every last cent you have saved up until nothing remains.

Used in a Sentence: Fixing the transmission meant cleaning out his savings account completely. / They were left broke after cleaning out their savings for the house deposit.

SimilarExpressions: Depleting reserves / Emptying accounts

11. In the red

Definition: Having a negative bank balance or owing more money than you possess.

Used in a Sentence: After a slow business quarter, the small shop operated deep in the red. / He had to watch his credit card spending to keep from going further in the red.

SimilarExpressions: In debt / Deficit spending

12. On queer street

Definition: An old-fashioned expression for being in financial difficulty or deep debt.

Used in a Sentence: Speculating on the stock market left him living on queer street for months. / Borrowing money to pay off other loans quickly puts you on queer street.

SimilarExpressions: In financial trouble / In debt

13. Raking and scraping

Definition: Scrambling, saving, and struggling desperately to gather enough money for a payment.

Used in a Sentence: After months of raking and scraping, they finally gathered enough for the tuition fee. / It took weeks of raking and scraping to pay off the unexpected utility bill.

SimilarExpressions: Scrimping and saving / Struggling to pay

14. Barely scraping by

Definition: Earning just enough money to cover essential survival costs with nothing left over.

Used in a Sentence: With minimum wage earnings and high rent, she was barely scraping by in the city. / The family was barely scraping by until both parents found steady work.

SimilarExpressions: Making ends meet / Surviving

15. Count every penny

Definition: To be extremely careful and frugal with spending because financial resources are scarce.

Used in a Sentence: Living on a fixed retirement income meant she had to count every penny at the grocery store. / When you are broke, you learn quickly how to count every penny.

SimilarExpressions: Frugal / Budgeting strictly

16. On a shoestring

Definition: Operating or living with an extremely small, tight budget.

Used in a Sentence: The independent filmmaker produced his award-winning movie on a shoestring budget. / Traveling across Europe on a shoestring required sleeping in hostels and eating cheap meals.

SimilarExpressions: Low budget / Frugally

17. Tighten one’s belt

Definition: To cut back on spending and prepare for a period of financial hardship.

Used in a Sentence: With inflation rising, the household had to tighten its belt and cut down on dining out. / The company asked employees to tighten their belts during the slow season.

SimilarExpressions: Cut expenses / Budget tightly

18. Hit rock bottom financially

Definition: Reaching the absolute lowest possible point in your financial situation.

Used in a Sentence: Losing his savings and his job felt like hitting rock bottom financially. / After hitting rock bottom financially, he took a budgeting class and turned his life around.

SimilarExpressions: Total financial ruin / Destitute

19. Out of funds

Definition: Completely depleted of money for a project, account, or personal use.

Used in a Sentence: The community center had to halt renovations because they were completely out of funds. / I can’t buy coffee today because I’m out of funds until Friday.

SimilarExpressions: Broke / Cash depleted

20. Penniless

Definition: Having absolutely no money or financial assets.

Used in a Sentence: The immigrant arrived in the new country penniless but determined to succeed. / Gambling away his inheritance left him entirely penniless.

SimilarExpressions: Destitute / Bankrupt

21. Without a pot to piss in

(Or polite alternative: Without a bean)

Without a bean

Definition: Informal slang for having no money at all.

Used in a Sentence: When he quit his corporate job, he was left without a bean to his name. / Don’t lend him money if he’s currently without a bean.

SimilarExpressions: Broke / Penniless

22. In Queer Street (Alternative adjustment: In the poorhouse)

In the poorhouse

Definition: Reduced to extreme poverty or financial ruin.

Used in a Sentence: Gambling addiction will land you straight in the poorhouse if you aren’t careful. / Extravagant spending habits put the once-wealthy family in the poorhouse.

SimilarExpressions: Bankrupt / Destitute

23. Cleaning out your pockets

Definition: Searching through your clothing to find any loose change because you have no paper money.

Used in a Sentence: He stood at the vending machine, cleaning out his pockets for enough quarters for a snack. / Cleaning out his pockets revealed he had only seventy-five cents left.

SimilarExpressions: Searching for change / Broke

24. Living on a shoestring

Definition: Surviving or managing an enterprise on minimal financial funds.

Used in a Sentence: The charity organization ran on a shoestring, relying entirely on volunteers. / College students are famous for living on a shoestring.

SimilarExpressions: Budget living / Frugal existence

25. Making ends meet

Definition: Earning just enough money to pay your regular bills and living expenses.

Used in a Sentence: Working two jobs was the only way she could make ends meet after prices rose. / With both partners working overtime, they managed to make ends meet.

SimilarExpressions: Covering expenses / Surviving financially

26. Not have two pennies to rub together

Definition: To be completely broke, possessing virtually no money.

Used in a Sentence: When they first married, they didn’t have two pennies to rub together. / He joked that he was so poor he didn’t have two pennies to rub together.

SimilarExpressions: Penniless / Broke

27. On the rocks

(Often used for relationships, but also financial ruin)

Financial ruin

Definition: A state of total collapse of business or personal finances.

Used in a Sentence: Bad investments left his portfolio on the rocks. / The restaurant business went on the rocks after losing its main chef.

SimilarExpressions: Bankrupt / Ruined

28. Wiped out financially

Definition: Having all your money or savings destroyed or depleted in a single event.

Used in a Sentence: The stock market crash wiped him out financially overnight. / Expensive medical bills left the family wiped out financially.

SimilarExpressions: Financially ruined / Bankrupt

29. Down to your last dime

Definition: Having only one coin or the very last small amount of money remaining.

Used in a Sentence: After paying the hotel bill, she was down to her last dime. / He checked his wallet, realizing he was down to his last dime until payday.

SimilarExpressions: Almost broke / Depleted cash

30. Empty pockets

Definition: Having no money stored in your clothing or accounts.

Used in a Sentence: He checked his jacket with empty pockets and realized he forgot his wallet. / Walking out of the casino with empty pockets taught him a hard lesson.

SimilarExpressions: Broke / Destitute

31. Out of cash

Definition: Lacking physical paper currency or liquid funds for an immediate purchase.

Used in a Sentence: The street vendor didn’t take cards, and unfortunately I was out of cash. / Let’s stop by an ATM because I’m completely out of cash.

SimilarExpressions: Cash poor / Broke

32. In debt up to one’s eyeballs

Definition: Owing a massive amount of money with little hope of paying it off quickly.

Used in a Sentence: Buying too many luxury items on credit cards left her in debt up to her eyeballs. / The startup was in debt up to its eyeballs before it even launched.

SimilarExpressions: Heavily indebted / Over-leveraged

33. Living on borrowed time and money

Definition: Surviving temporarily on debt and delayed payments while facing inevitable financial collapse.

Used in a Sentence: Operating without profit, the failing store was living on borrowed time and money. / Ignoring your mounting credit card bills means you are living on borrowed time.

SimilarExpressions: Temporarily surviving / Unsustainable debt

34. Broke as a joke

Definition: A humorous, rhyming slang expression for being completely out of money.

Used in a Sentence: He laughed and admitted he was broke as a joke until Friday. / Don’t ask me to fund the trip; I’m broke as a joke right now.

SimilarExpressions: Flat broke / Penniless

35. Out of the game financially

Definition: Unable to participate in purchases, investments, or outings due to lack of funds.

Used in a Sentence: After losing his savings in the scam, he was completely out of the game financially. / High housing prices kept young buyers out of the game financially.

SimilarExpressions: Priced out / Broke

36. Behind on payments

Definition: Failing to pay bills or debts on time because money is unavailable.

Used in a Sentence: Losing his job caused him to fall behind on his car payments. / The overdue notices piled up because she was behind on payments.

SimilarExpressions: Overdue / In arrears

37. Living off instant noodles

Definition: A modern colloquial expression for eating the cheapest possible food because you are broke.

Used in a Sentence: College students often spend month-ends living off instant noodles. / Rent ate up his entire paycheck, leaving him living off instant noodles for two weeks.

SimilarExpressions: Eating cheap / Frugal survival

38. Bounced checks

Definition: Issuing checks when your bank account has insufficient funds, causing financial embarrassment.

Used in a Sentence: Writing checks without money in the account led to bounced checks and bank fees. / He had to manage his account carefully to avoid bounced checks.

SimilarExpressions: Insufficient funds / Overdrawn

39. Overdrawn account

Definition: Spending more money than you actually have in your bank account.

Used in a Sentence: Checking her mobile banking app, she realized her account was heavily overdrawn. / Paying for the flight pushed his checking account into an overdrawn status.

SimilarExpressions: Negative balance / In the red

40. Selling your belongings

Definition: Having to sell personal possessions like electronics or jewelry just to pay basic bills.

Used in a Sentence: When he ran out of savings, he resorted to selling his musical instruments online to pay rent. / Financial desperation forced her into selling her jewelry.

SimilarExpressions: Liquidation / Selling possessions for cash

41. Drained bank account

Definition: An account that has been completely emptied by expenses or bills.

Used in a Sentence: Fixing the roof resulted in a drained bank account and immense stress. / He looked at his drained bank account with worry.

SimilarExpressions: Empty account / Zero balance

42. Tight budget

Definition: Having very restricted funds allocated for living expenses.

Used in a Sentence: Living on a tight budget meant planning every meal in advance. / They managed their vacation on a very tight budget.

SimilarExpressions: Frugal budget / Restricted funds

43. Financial pinch

Definition: A temporary period of money shortage and stress.

Used in a Sentence: Rising grocery prices put a financial pinch on many middle-class households. / We are feeling the financial pinch this month after holiday shopping.

SimilarExpressions: Money squeeze / Tight spot

44. Cash-strapped

Definition: Lacking sufficient cash or liquidity to cover current expenses easily.

Used in a Sentence: The cash-strapped municipality delayed repairs on local community centers. / Being cash-strapped made him hesitate before buying a new laptop.

SimilarExpressions: Short of cash / Financially strapped

45. Living on fumes

(Metaphor for running out of gas, applied to money)

Definition: Surviving on the absolute last remnants of financial reserves.

Used in a Sentence: With no new clients this month, the small business was living on fumes. / He checked his wallet, knowing he was living on fumes until payday.

SimilarExpressions: Barely surviving / Last reserves

46. Destitute

Definition: Utterly impoverished, lacking the means to provide for basic human needs.

Used in a Sentence: Natural disasters left thousands of families homeless and destitute. / Social programs aim to support individuals who have become destitute.

SimilarExpressions: Impoverished / Penniless

47. Bankrupt

(Or metaphorical: “Bankrupt of cash”)

Definition: Legally declared unable to pay debts, resulting in total financial liquidation.

Used in a Sentence: The retail chain went bankrupt after failing to adapt to online shopping trends. / Poor investments drove his company into bankruptcy.

SimilarExpressions: Insolvent / Financially ruined

48. In dire straits

Definition: In a severely serious, dangerous, or impoverished financial situation.

Used in a Sentence: The local hospital was in dire straits after losing its primary government grant. / Failing to secure a loan left the startup in dire straits.

SimilarExpressions: In serious trouble / Desperate situation

49. Stone broke

Definition: An emphatic way of saying completely, undeniably out of money.

Used in a Sentence: After paying his annual property taxes, he was stone broke. / She refused to go out on Saturday because she was stone broke.

SimilarExpressions: Flat broke / Utterly penniless

50. Out of commission financially

Definition: Temporarily unable to spend or participate in activities due to a lack of money.

Used in a Sentence: Until my paycheck clears on Friday, I am out of commission financially. / Car repairs left him out of commission financially for the month.

SimilarExpressions: Temporarily broke / Cash unavailable

Exercise to Practice

1. To be “flat broke” means you have plenty of savings and luxury investments.
2. “Living from hand to mouth” means spending money as fast as you earn it just for survival.
3. Being “in the red” means your bank account has a positive, growing balance.
4. “Tightening your belt” means cutting back on spending during financial hardship.
5. To be “broke as a church mouse” means you are extremely poor and out of money.
6. “Making ends meet” means earning just enough to pay your regular bills.
7. Being “cash-strapped” means you have an abundance of loose cash in your pockets.
8. To have “empty pockets” means you have no money stored in your clothing or accounts.
9. “Living on a shoestring” means operating with a massive, unlimited budget.
10. Being “stone broke” is an emphatic way of saying you are completely out of money.
11. “Counting every penny” means spending carelessly without looking at prices.
12. Being “in debt up to your eyeballs” means owing a massive amount of money.
13. “Bounced checks” occur when you have plenty of money in your account.
14. Being “destitute” means lacking the means to provide for basic human needs.
15. “Living on fumes” means surviving on the absolute last remnants of your financial reserves.

Answer Key

1. False
2. True
3. False
4. True
5. True
6. True
7. False
8. True
9. False
10. True
11. False
12. True
13. False
14. True
15. True

Conclusion

Learning idioms about being broke helps you express financial hardship, budgeting struggles, and poverty using vivid and relatable language. Whether you want to describe living paycheck to paycheck or being stone broke, these phrases add authenticity and humor to your conversations and writing.

Try using expressions like “flat broke” or “living from hand to mouth” in your next story or conversation when describing tight financial moments!

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some common idioms for being broke?

Common idioms for being broke include flat broke, skint, stone broke, not having a penny to one’s name, and living from hand to mouth.

How can I describe someone who is struggling to pay bills?

You can say they are “making ends meet,” “living from hand to mouth,” “strapped for cash,” or “counting every penny.”

What does it mean to be “in the red”?

It means your bank account is negative or you owe more money than you possess, originating from traditional accounting practices where losses were written in red ink.

Are these idioms meant to be interpreted literally?

No, these phrases are figurative expressions. For example, being “broke as a church mouse” means you have no money, not that an actual animal lives in your wallet.

How can learning these phrases improve my writing?

Learning these expressions adds conversational color, realism, and emotional depth to character dialogues and descriptions involving financial struggles.