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Synonyms

liquidation

American  
[lik-wi-day-shuhn] / ˌlɪk wɪˈdeɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. the process of realizing upon assets and of discharging liabilities in concluding the affairs of a business, estate, etc.

  2. the process of converting securities or commodities into cash.

  3. the state of being liquidated.

    an estate in liquidation.


liquidation British  
/ ˌlɪkwɪˈdeɪʃən /

noun

    1. the process of terminating the affairs of a business firm, etc, by realizing its assets to discharge its liabilities

    2. the state of a business firm, etc, having its affairs so terminated (esp in the phrase to go into liquidation )

  1. destruction; elimination

"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

liquidation Cultural  
  1. The conversion of the assets of a firm into cash, often just before the firm goes out of business.


Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of liquidation

First recorded in 1565–75; liquidate + -ion


Vocabulary lists containing liquidation

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.

See Examples For:

“While healthy bull markets often reset through rotation rather than broad liquidation, as we’ve seen on several occasions in recent years, we see tech leadership as likely to endure.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

A day later, regulators moved to address the crisis by placing seven companies into liquidation that hold 131 investment funds, whose assets are reportedly worth around $17 billion.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Administration can take months and, in the worst-case scenario, a company can be put into liquidation and shut down if it has no way of making any more cash.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

Representatives for the liquidation trust didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

His accountant, Itzhak Stern, thought that Schindler committed to saving Jews after he witnessed the mass killings during the liquidation of the Kraków ghetto.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson

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