Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The man charged with killing Abe said he had targeted the former prime minister for his connections to the Unification Church, which he said had bankrupted his family.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2022
Japanese media have published a letter Mr. Yamagami reportedly wrote days prior to the assassination, in which he claimed the donations had bankrupted his family.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 10, 2022
The suspect reportedly was upset because his mother’s massive donations to the church had bankrupted the family.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 13, 2022
“It doesn’t work. People aren’t silly about things. It’s so crazy — if I had bankrupted Lehman Brothers from a two-man office in Columbus, Ohio, I should be pope, not running for president.”
From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2016
The amalgamated debt of the involved nations, amounting to more than $100,000,000,000, had bankrupted the world.
From The Man Who Rocked the Earth by Robert Williams Wood
