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Showing results for bankruptcy. Search instead for bankruptcies.
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.

Gawker was forced to shut down under the weight of lawsuits, Vice Media filed for bankruptcy and is a shadow of itself, and BuzzFeed now warns it could go out of business entirely this year.

From MarketWatch

Investors have been spooked by a series of events, including the bankruptcies of subprime auto lender Tricolor and auto-parts supplier First Brands last September, even though their loans were primarily originated by banks.

From The Wall Street Journal

More than two months later, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, he noted, sending shock waves through financial markets and triggering the financial crisis as oil collapsed to $40 a barrel.

From MarketWatch

Vici Properties, the real-estate investment trust that was spun off in Caesars’ bankruptcy proceedings in 2017 and counts Caesars as a major tenant, had been viewed as a potential roadblock to a deal.

From The Wall Street Journal

He noted the number of farm bankruptcies was up, as were the amounts that farmers are borrowing.

From Barron's