bankruptcy
Americannoun
plural
bankruptcies-
the state of being or becoming bankrupt.
-
utter ruin, failure, depletion, or the like.
noun
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If an individual or a corporation declares bankruptcy, a court will appoint an official to make an inventory of the individual's or corporation's assets and to establish a schedule by which creditors can be partially repaid what is owed them.
An individual who is lacking a specific resource or quality is sometimes said to be bankrupt, as in intellectually bankrupt or morally bankrupt.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bankruptcy
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How does bankruptcy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Bankruptcy is a state of being bankrupt, or having no money to pay back debts that you owe. When you file for bankruptcy, you are giving up all your possessions and declaring, essentially, that you don't have any money left. During the recession, lots of businesses had to file for bankruptcy or declare by law that they were unable to pay off their debts. The ending of the word bankruptcy is a tricky one. Remember that it ends in tcy.
Vocabulary lists containing bankruptcy
Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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Economics
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Spirit customers can file a proof of claim for their points, vouchers or flight credits through Epiq, a website that streamlines bankruptcy proceedings for companies — but they shouldn’t count on a payout.
From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026
WSJ: Why does the company stand a better chance of being successful after it emerges from bankruptcy?
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Consumers are typically one of the last groups to get their money back in bankruptcy and liquidation scenarios, according to the Points Guy.
From MarketWatch • May 4, 2026
WSJ: A lack of inventory had been a big problem before the company filed for bankruptcy as nervous suppliers withheld shipments.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Everywhere you looked someone was filing for bankruptcy, or throwing his belongings into a U-Haul to find another job up in the rustbelt or snowbelt or crimebelt from which he thought he had escaped.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
