foreclosure
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of foreclosure
Explanation
When a homeowner can't afford to pay her mortgage, she might face foreclosure, which is when a bank repossesses a borrower's house. A bank most often starts foreclosure proceedings against someone who's taken out a loan to buy a house when that person stops making monthly payments. The agreement a borrower makes when she gets a bank mortgage is that she'll pay a certain amount of money every month, and failing to do it means risking foreclosure. The word foreclosure comes from the Latin words fors, "out," and clore "to shut."
Vocabulary lists containing foreclosure
Case Closed: Clud, Clus
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American History II
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The Great Depression and The New Deal
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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.
Foreclosure filings shot up nearly 20% in October from a year ago, highlighting a growing pocket of distress in the housing market.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 14, 2025
Foreclosure, meanwhile, can be worse for a bank than pretending and extending.
From Slate • May 26, 2023
Foreclosure Market Report from ATTOM, parent company of RealtyTrac, an online marketplace for foreclosure and distressed properties.
From Washington Post • Nov. 3, 2021
Foreclosure looms for Nile Niami’s infamous mega-mansion ‘The One’
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 11, 2021
Foreclosure was the inevitable result, and the farm was accordingly advertised for sale.
From The Fourth Watch by Cody, H. A. (Hiram Alfred)
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.
