foreclose

[ fawr-klohz, fohr- ]

/ fɔrˈkloʊz, foʊr- /

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See synonyms for foreclose on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), fore·closed, fore·clos·ing.

Law.

to deprive (a mortgagor or pledgor) of the right to redeem his or her property, especially on failure to make payment on a mortgage when due, ownership of property then passing to the mortgagee.
to take away the right to redeem (a mortgage or pledge).

to shut out; exclude; bar.

to hinder or prevent, as from doing something.

to establish an exclusive claim to.

to close, settle, or answer beforehand.

verb (used without object), fore·closed, fore·clos·ing.

to foreclose a mortgage or pledge.

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Origin of foreclose

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

OTHER WORDS FROM foreclose

fore·clos·a·ble, adjectivenon·fore·clos·ing, adjective

Words nearby foreclose

forecastle head, fore-check, forechoir, forecited, fore clipping, foreclose, foreclosure, foreconscious, forecourse, forecourt, foredate

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use foreclose in a sentence

Yet, unsurprisingly, with hopes for social change at home foreclosed and few economic alternatives, migration only increased after the wars ended.
The root cause of Central American migration? The United States.|Aviva Chomsky|July 8, 2021|Washington Post
After the Great Recession, millions of foreclosed homes hit the market as the economy cratered.
Wall Street isn’t to blame for the chaotic housing market|Jerusalem Demsas|June 11, 2021|Vox
It’s worth noting that the majority opinion in Van Buren does not foreclose any possibility that someone will be prosecuted for a trivial transgression.
The Supreme Court hands down very good news for pretty much everyone who uses a computer|Ian Millhiser|June 4, 2021|Vox
If it forecloses a young person getting a job, that has longer-run adverse implications for what we call their human capital accumulation.
The True Story of the Minimum-Wage Fight (Ep. 460)|Stephen J. Dubner|April 29, 2021|Freakonomics

Opportunity is going to be foreclosed to millions of low-income people because they can’t afford to gain access to the digital highway through Internet service providers.
The TIME 2030 Committee Offers 8 Solutions for a More Equitable and Sustainable Future|TIME Staff|January 22, 2021|Time
Yet Texas does not foreclose professional opportunities for him.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the stakes are as high as these, checking privilege can foreclose important advances in human psychology.
Our Bad Romance Obsession Is the Ultimate First World Problem|James Poulos|January 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What they have done is foreclose any meaningful response by the AP.
Justice Department’s AP Subpoena: Surgical Strike or Dragnet?|David Freedlander|May 15, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We cannot foreclose the possibility that a strike against Iran might one day be defensible or necessary.
The Case for Bombing Iran Shows Hawks Wrong All Over Again|Michael Tomasky|February 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Why rush to foreclose on a homeowner owing $250,000 on a property valued, post-bubble, at $200,000?
Crashing the Bank Busters' Party|Gary Rivlin|October 5, 2011|DAILY BEAST
They foreclose without mercy, but that does not frighten their old patrons, who have the perennial optimism of the country.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
He's to foreclose that mortgage and longs to own that one field of ours just to complete the shape of his farm.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
My husband died paying it, and my son will pay it all my life, and then I suppose the bank will foreclose.
A Traveler from Altruria: Romance|William Dean Howells
Yesterday I served notice on him by mail that we would have to go ahead and foreclose right away.
Those Times And These|Irvin S. Cobb
Laflin came to Ingleside; came to foreclose a poor man's liberty, without a day of redemption.
The Broken Sword|Dennison Worthington

British Dictionary definitions for foreclose

foreclose

/ (fɔːˈkləʊz) /

verb

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

(tr) to shut out; bar

(tr) to prevent or hinder

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

(tr) to make an exclusive claim to

Derived forms of foreclose

foreclosable, adjectiveforeclosure (fɔːˈkləʊʒə), noun

Word Origin for foreclose

C15: from Old French forclore, from for- out + clore to close, from Latin claudere

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

foreclose

Origin of foreclose

OTHER WORDS FROM foreclose

Words nearby foreclose

Words related to foreclose

How to use foreclose in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for foreclose

Derived forms of foreclose

Word Origin for foreclose