foreclose

American  

[fawr-klohz, fohr-] / fɔrˈkloʊz, foʊr- /

verb (used with object)

foreclosed, foreclosing

1. Law.

   1. to deprive (a mortgagor or pledgor) of the right to redeem their property, especially on failure to make payment on a mortgage when due, ownership of property then passing to the mortgagee.

   2. to take away the right to redeem (a mortgage or pledge).

2. to shut out; exclude; bar.

3. to hinder or prevent, as from doing something.

4. to establish an exclusive claim to.

5. to close, settle, or answer beforehand.

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verb (used without object)

foreclosed, foreclosing

1. to take away the right to redeem a mortgage or pledge.

foreclose British  

/ fɔːˈkləʊz, fɔːˈkləʊʒə /

verb

1. law to deprive (a mortgagor, etc) of the right to redeem (a mortgage or pledge)

2. (tr) to shut out; bar

3. (tr) to prevent or hinder

4. (tr) to answer or settle (an obligation, promise, etc) in advance

5. (tr) to make an exclusive claim to

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Other Word Forms

• foreclosable adjective
• foreclosure noun
• nonforeclosing adjective

Etymology

Origin of foreclose

First recorded 1250–1300; Middle English foreclosen from Old French forclos, past participle of forclore “to exclude,” equivalent to for- “out” + clore “to shut” (from Latin claudere )

Explanation

To foreclose is to prevent something from happening. If you want to foreclose any possibility of getting in a car accident, you should travel by train instead. Foreclose comes from the Old French forclore, "exclude or shut out," which led to its sense of "bar from happening," and also the legal meaning, "bar someone from redeeming a mortgage." If a bank forecloses on a property, they take it away from the person who lives there. This typically happens once the homeowner has missed several payments on their mortgage, the money they owe after borrowing from the bank.

Example Sentences

Friday's decision "is solely to foreclose the death penalty as an available punishment to be considered by the jury," Judge Margaret Garnett wrote in her opinion.

From Barron's • Jan. 30, 2026

But circumstances can change, and a permanent prohibition against Ukrainian membership would foreclose a step that may become necessary.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

Findley, 54, used several aliases to pose as the bogus lender, and threatened to foreclose on Graceland and auction the compound – unless the Presley family settled the claim for $2.85m.

From BBC • Sep. 23, 2025

Within a year and a half, she’d fallen behind and Vanderbilt was trying to foreclose on both her home and the family-owned land she used to secure the mortgage, the suit said.

From Salon • Mar. 16, 2025

Hospital bills arrived daily; the uninsured roofer had sent a lawyer after them, as had Grover, who stood ready to foreclose.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Related Words

• preclude