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Showing results for bankruptcy. Search instead for moral-bankruptcy.
Synonyms

bankruptcy

American  
[bangk-ruhpt-see, -ruhp-see] / ˈbæŋk rʌpt si, -rəp si /

noun

plural

bankruptcies
  1. the state of being or becoming bankrupt.

  2. utter ruin, failure, depletion, or the like.


bankruptcy British  
/ ˈbæŋkrʌptsɪ, -rəptsɪ /

noun

  1. the state, condition, or quality of being or becoming bankrupt

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bankruptcy Cultural  
  1. Legally declared insolvency, or inability to pay creditors.


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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

  • prebankruptcy noun

Etymology

Origin of bankruptcy

First recorded in 1690–1700; bankrupt + -cy

Compare meaning

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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.

“We’re not on the verge of bankruptcy by a long shot.”

From Los Angeles Times

Guterres had warned earlier that same month that the UN faced its most fragile financial position in years - again citing unpaid fees - having said in October that it faced a "race to bankruptcy".

From BBC

Once home to Bethlehem Steel, which filed for bankruptcy in 2001, the region has continued to expand its manufacturing base, helped by its proximity to ports in New York and New Jersey.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tim became a columnist in 2023 after working for more than two decades as an award-winning reporter, covering everything from the bankruptcy of General Motors to the presidential campaigns of 2016.

From The Wall Street Journal

When auto-parts supplier First Brands Group filed for bankruptcy last fall, creditors cried fraud.

From The Wall Street Journal