Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

break the buck

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.98 in modern English

Syllables
break the buck
IPA
29
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
1
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To fall below the value of one dollar per share.

American usage

Example Sentences

Etymology

Break (as in break the bank) + the + buck (“dollar (colloquial)”).

Usage

Inflected Forms

breaks the buck (present, singular) breaking the buck (participle, present) broke the buck (past) broken the buck (participle, past)

Questions

What does break the buck mean?
To fall below the value of one dollar per share.
Where does break the buck come from?
Break (as in break the bank) + the + buck (“dollar (colloquial)”).

How to pronounce break the buck

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “break the buck”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “break the buck”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “break the buck” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.