break the bank

/breɪk ðə bæŋk/◆idiom

spend all available money

I wanted to buy a new car, but I didn’t want to break the bank.

I didn’t want to spend all my money on the car.

◆ What It Really Means

To exhaust or deplete one's financial resources by spending excessively.

¶ Literal Meaning

To physically damage or destroy a financial institution's reserves.

Literal Breakdown

breakto separate into parts suddenly+the banka financial institution's reserves

◇ Mental Image

Imagine a vault or safe being violently opened and emptied, leaving no money inside.

◈ When to Use

You're shopping with friends and see a luxury item you love. You hesitate because you know buying it would mean spending most of your savings.

◉ Cultural Note

This phrase reflects the historical gambling culture where 'breaking the bank' was a rare and dramatic event, symbolizing extreme financial gain or loss.

informal

to spend all one's available money; to cost a very large amount

We splurged on a fancy vacation, but it really broke the bank.

The vacation cost so much that it used up all our savings.

This designer handbag costs over $10,000—it’ll break the bank for most people.

Most people cannot afford this handbag because it costs too much.

Often used to emphasize that something is very expensive or unaffordable.

Collocations

almost break the bankto come close to spending all one's moneybreak the bank at Monte Carloto win a very large amount of money in gambling

Synonyms

empty one's wallet drain one's funds cost an arm and a leg

Antonyms

save money be affordable be within budget

Related Phrases

break the iceidiom

to initiate conversation in a social setting to reduce tension

break evenphrasal verb

to neither gain nor lose money in a transaction

Pro Tip

Avoid literal interpretation

Do not confuse this idiom with its historical gambling origin. In modern usage, it always refers to spending money, not winning it.

Gold Rule

Use in informal contexts only

This idiom is informal and should not be used in formal writing or professional settings.

Word Origin

The phrase originates from gambling, where 'breaking the bank' meant winning all the money in the bank at a casino table. This literal meaning evolved into the figurative sense of spending all one's available money.

Usage Notes

This idiom is used to describe situations where spending money is so excessive that it depletes one's financial resources. It is informal and should not be used in formal contexts.

Word Breakdown

break

to cause to separate into parts suddenly or violently

verb

the bank

a financial institution's reserves or one's available funds

noun phrase

English Dictionary

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