bankruptcy
Americannoun
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bankruptcies
plural
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the state of being or becoming bankrupt.
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utter ruin, failure, depletion, or the like.
noun
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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.
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Etymology
Origin of bankruptcy
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How does bankruptcy compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Bankruptcy is a state of being bankrupt, or having no money to pay back debts that you owe. When you file for bankruptcy, you are giving up all your possessions and declaring, essentially, that you don't have any money left. During the recession, lots of businesses had to file for bankruptcy or declare by law that they were unable to pay off their debts. The ending of the word bankruptcy is a tricky one. Remember that it ends in tcy.
Vocabulary lists containing bankruptcy
Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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Economics
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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.
See Examples For:
A bankruptcy attorney can — and absolutely should — advise you.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Kounou said Raffall had been contacted by the Insolvency Service, which manages Hall's bankruptcy, regarding the account.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Chapter 7 bankruptcy does not require repayment, but part of your property may be subject to liens and mortgages.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
United pilots Alan Bewley and Dan Lohmar both had families at the time of the bankruptcy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
And bankruptcy has been called “a fate worse than debt.”
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
He predicted a wave of farm bankruptcies in Russia in the coming months.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
This economic downturn pushed up the number of bankruptcies dramatically.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
The state is reluctant to fill the void left by federal funding after a series of bankruptcies and cancellations left only one truck maker and one bus maker selling hydrogen vehicles in North America.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
"It will not be possible to redirect the entire harvest to European and other markets," Aramyan told AFP, warning of overproduction, bankruptcies and possible social strain.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
The number of bankruptcies hied with the federal court in Midland went up by 65 percent.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
