Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

go for broke

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.82 in modern English

Syllables: go -for broke
IPA

20

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To wager everything.

verb

To try everything possible or do every last thing possible in a final attempt.

Example Sentences

"These shoeless gladiators "shoot the works" or as they themselves term it "go for broke" in each game. They battle for every inch ..."
"Well, we shot the line and we went for broke With a thousand screamin' trucks An' eleven long-haired Friends a' Jesus In a chartreuse microbus."
"Going for broke, the BRB said that Edinburgh-Aberdeen and Hull-Doncaster-Leeds should be considered [for electrification], along with Plymouth-Penzance and Crewe-Holyhead, all to be in place by 2001. Norman Fowler's reply was short and to the point: Sorry, no."
"But Mr. Trump’s team went for broke, deciding not to seek a jury instruction that would have permitted jurors to find that Mr. Trump committed a misdemeanor rather than a felony."

Etymology

From Hawaiian Pidgin craps slang, meaning “to wager everything on one roll”: one would be broke, i.e. bankrupt, if one lost. Popularized by the movie Go for Broke! (1951), which is named for the 442nd Infantry Regiment’s unit motto.

Inflected Forms

goes for broke (present, singular) going for broke (participle, present) went for broke (past) gone for broke (participle, past)

Phrases

go all out go for it go for the burn here goes nothing

Frequently Paired Words

go all out go for it go for the burn here goes nothing

Questions

What does go for broke mean?: To wager everything.
Where does go for broke come from?: From Hawaiian Pidgin craps slang, meaning “to wager everything on one roll”: one would be broke, i.e. bankrupt, if one lost. Popularized by the movie Go for Broke! (1951), which is named for the 442nd Infantry Regiment’s unit motto.

How to pronounce go for broke

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