foreclose

American  

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

verb (used with object)

• forecloses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• foreclosed,
  past participle,  past
• foreclosing
  present participle

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)

• forecloses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• foreclosed,
  past participle,  past
• foreclosing
  present participle

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

foreclose British  

/ fɔːˈkləʊz /

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

Derived Forms

• foreclosure
  noun
• foreclosable
  adjective
• nonforeclosing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• foreclosing
  present
• foreclosed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• foreclose
  simple
• forecloses
  simple
• have foreclosed
  perfect
• has foreclosed
  perfect
• am foreclosing
  progressive
• are foreclosing
  progressive
• is foreclosing
  progressive
• have been foreclosing
  perfect progressive
• has been foreclosing
  perfect progressive

Past

• foreclosed
  simple
• had foreclosed
  perfect
• was foreclosing
  progressive
• were foreclosing
  progressive
• had been foreclosing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will foreclose
  simple
• will have foreclosed
  perfect
• will be foreclosing
  progressive
• will have been foreclosing
  perfect progressive

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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 )

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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

See Examples For:

foreclose forecloses foreclosed foreclosing

A buyer could foreclose on the property and potentially change its use to advanced manufacturing such as aerospace or defense, which is in high demand in Southern California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026

Not only does it create a lien against your home, but your relative could potentially foreclose on the property.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

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

“Certain items supposedly from the estate of President and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln have surfaced in a house the bank is forced to foreclose on. Do you grasp what this could mean, Mrs. Dowdel?”

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck

If the U.S. legally forecloses this question while other nations leave it open, we risk being strategically blindsided.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025

"There is an adequate state ground for the prosecution and that forecloses Supreme Court jurisdiction on that issue," Peck said.

From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2024

Perhaps this is a deliberate choice, designed to spotlight how poverty forecloses any thought beyond the immediate present.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2023

But they shouldn’t adopt a theory of the First Amendment that forecloses such regulation entirely.

From Slate ● Jan. 9, 2023

“The bank forecloses on people’s farms and throws them off their land, and they don’t even appreciate it.”

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck

So you’ve got regulation and legislation basically foreclosed by Supreme Court decisions, and that leaves litigation.

From Slate ● Oct. 5, 2026

Colony Ridge foreclosed on the property three years later, even though Acevedo said she was making payments.

From Salon ● Apr. 12, 2026

Large investment firms mopped up foreclosed homes after the 2008 housing crash, placing a floor on prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026

Virginia does not have a “right of redemption,” so homeowners are generally not permitted to repurchase the foreclosed property.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 7, 2026

The city of Edmonton foreclosed, and the Pollards lost everything but their house.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

"At the same time, the warning could be interpreted as stopping short of completely foreclosing inter-Korean dialogue: essentially telling Seoul not to interfere unless it has something substantial to offer."

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

That approach could produce a formally narrow decision that nevertheless risks foreclosing meaningful relief for transgender individuals whose discrimination claims would otherwise warrant serious judicial consideration.

From Slate ● Jan. 14, 2026

Isabella County, in which the court will examine whether government has the right to keep value beyond what is owed in taxes after foreclosing on a home.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 10, 2025

The complaint said Shein was also “instigating and supporting dubious copyright infringement lawsuits” against Temu, which is owned by popular Chinese e-commerce site Pinduoduo Inc., and foreclosing Temu’s access to suppliers through exclusivity agreements.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 14, 2023

I even went beyond the request which the man made, by including another clause which prevents me or my heirs from foreclosing before the expiration of two years after the last payment of interest.

From Captain Pott's Minister by Francis L. (Francis Le Roy) Cooper

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