bankrupt

American  

[bangk-ruhpt, -ruhpt] / ˈbæŋk rʌpt, -rəpt /

noun

1. Law. a person who upon their own petition or that of their creditors is adjudged insolvent by a court and whose property is administered for and divided among their creditors under a bankruptcy law.

2. any insolvent debtor; a person unable to satisfy any just claims made upon them.

3. a person who is lacking in a particular thing or quality.

   a moral bankrupt.

---

adjective

1. Law. subject to or under legal process because of insolvency; insolvent.

   Synonyms:

   impoverished, destitute

2. at the end of one's resources; lacking (usually followed by of orin ).

   bankrupt of compassion;

   bankrupt in good manners.

3. related to the act or process of being adjudged insolvent by a court and having one's property andministered for and divided among one's creditors.

verb (used with object)

1. to make insolvent.

   His embezzlement bankrupted the company.

bankrupt British  

/ ˈbæŋkrʌpt, -rəpt /

noun

1. a person adjudged insolvent by a court, his or her property being transferred to a trustee and administered for the benefit of his creditors

2. any person unable to discharge all his or her debts

3. a person whose resources in a certain field are exhausted or nonexistent

   a spiritual bankrupt

---

adjective

1. adjudged insolvent

2. financially ruined

3. depleted in resources or having completely failed

   spiritually bankrupt

4. (foll by of) lacking

   bankrupt of intelligence

verb

1. (tr) to make bankrupt

Other Word Forms

• pseudobankrupt adjective
• quasi-bankrupt adjective

Etymology

Origin of bankrupt

First recorded in 1525–35; from Medieval Latin banca rupta “bank broken”; replacing adaptations of Italian banca rota and French banqueroute in same sense

Example Sentences

Daniel Chu, the chief executive of bankrupt car-dealership chain Tricolor Holdings, has been charged in an alleged scheme to defraud banks and other investors by manipulating the collateral they held against loans to his business.

From Barron's

“If things go wrong, the companies could go bankrupt. We must make them think like this,” Lee told officials working at the country’s personal data-safety commission.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the next two decades, he would twice go bankrupt and trade his way back to immense wealth.

From The Wall Street Journal

Distressed funds are buying up bankrupt First Brands Group’s top-ranking loans after an unexpected and sharp selloff, joining the core creditor group driving the auto-parts seller’s bankruptcy.

From The Wall Street Journal

Despite being so good at talking people out of their money, he still managed to go bankrupt multiple times.

From Salon

Related Words

• broke
• destitute
• failed
• insolvent