breɪk ðə bæŋk
Money & Finance
informal
beginner
- Literally:
- To win more money than the bank has in a casino
What does "break the bank" mean?
- To cost too much money
- To exhaust one's financial resources
Examples
- A nice dinner doesn't have to break the bank.
- We found a vacation that won't break the bank.
- This purchase is going to break the bank.
Origin
From gambling, where 'breaking the bank' meant winning more than the casino's reserve for a particular table. By the late 19th century, it came to mean any unaffordable expense.
How to use it
Often used in negative ('won't break the bank') to describe affordable options. Very common in discussions about spending.
Similar expressions
cost a fortune
expensive
drain one's savings
Opposites
affordable
budget-friendly
cheap
Related idioms
- pay an arm and a leg
To pay an extremely high price
- make ends meet
To earn just enough money to cover basic expenses
- cost an arm and a leg
To be very expensive
- money doesn't grow on trees
Money is not easily acquired; it must be earned
- hit the jackpot
To achieve great success or win something valuable
- go through the roof
To increase dramatically or to very high levels
Use it in a practice answer
Try "break the bank" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.