Meaning
To break — but reaching far beyond the plain sense: to be broke and penniless, to break something down or apart, to break loose, and to move loosely and freely in dance ('bruk out'). As an adjective it means broken or without money, covering in one short word states that English needs several for. From a broken cup to a broke pocket to a body breaking wild to the riddim, 'bruk' is among the most versatile everyday verbs in the language, worn down from 'break' and stretched across many senses.
Examples
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Mi phone bruk when it drop.
My phone broke when it dropped.
Verb of breaking, with no separate past-tense inflection.
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Mi cyaan come out, mi bruk till nex week.
I can't go out, I'm broke until next week.
'bruk' as an adjective meaning out of money; 'cyaan' is 'can't'.
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Look how she a bruk out pan di dancehall floor!
Look how she's dancing wildly on the dancehall floor!
'bruk out' means to dance energetically; 'a' marks continuous action.
Origin
From English 'broke/broken', reflecting Jamaican phonology where the vowel is shortened and the final consonant cluster simplified.
How it’s used
Extremely common and flexible. Appears in many compounds: 'bruk out' (dance/party hard), 'bruk down' (break down), 'bruk pocket' (broke). Fully everyday and appropriate in any casual setting.