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

This does not, of course, foreclose another question: Does the book add anything of additional value—defining the term, loosely, to include perspective and narrative fluency?

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

If the Journal’s reporting is accurate, for example, that would also foreclose any liability.

From Slate • Jul. 23, 2025

"To hold otherwise would be to completely foreclose the further development of music in that genre or for that purpose."

From BBC • Mar. 28, 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