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deleveraging

American  
[dee-lev-er-ij-ing, ‑lee-ver‑] / diˈlɛv ər ɪdʒ ɪŋ, ‑li vər‑ /

noun

  1. the act or process of paying off or reducing debt; a decreasing of financial leverage.


Etymology

Origin of deleveraging

First recorded in 1975–80; de- ( def. ) + leveraging ( def. )

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:

James Hardie said the divestiture is expected to strengthen its balance sheet, accelerate deleveraging and improve its margin profile and return on invested capital.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 20, 2026

Fast forward a fortnight amid some very rapid and painful deleveraging, and the index now stands at 6813 after a stealth rally of 21%.

From MarketWatch Aug. 13, 2026

Both “the historical pattern and the sharp deleveraging that has recently taken place among hedge funds and ETF investors suggest rotational volatility should diminish in coming weeks,” the strategists said.

From MarketWatch Aug. 3, 2026

The company said it is prioritizing deleveraging amid the price environment.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 23, 2026

“We are going through the greatest deleveraging in the history of financial services and it’s going to go on and on and on,” he said.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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