idiom / phrasal phrase · informal
break the bank
/breɪk ðə bæŋk/BANK
to cost a lot of money; to use up someone’s money or funds
Examples
“I love that designer bag but it would break the bank to buy it now.”
“We can renovate the kitchen without breaking the bank.”
“Taking a trip to Japan needn't break the bank if you book early.”
Band 8 sentence
“We can fund the community project without breaking the bank if local businesses contribute small amounts.”
Collocations
- won't break the bank
- without breaking the bank
Word family
Common mistakes
break the bank (meaning: rob a bank)→break the bank (meaning: cost a lot)
to break bank→to break the bank
Say it for a higher band
5be very expensive→6cost a lot of money→7+break the bank
Synonyms
cost a fortune
be expensive
Easily confused
break the bank vs rob a bank
“Buying new phones for the whole team would almost break the bank.”
Related words
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In break …
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