Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After poor ticket sales, producers were reported to have mortgaged property to cover debts.
From Barron's ● Dec. 22, 2025
By trading their first-round draft picks for Matthew Stafford, the Rams might have mortgaged their future, but they gave L.A. fans a fantastic present.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2022
Seven months later, it’s just as easy to see how the Sixers may have mortgaged their future as a result.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 21, 2018
Representative Scott Rigell, Republican of Virginia, calls them “the hardworking men and women who have mortgaged their homes to buy or to rent a little brick-and-mortar shop.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 29, 2013
During the past ten years the people of Canada have mortgaged the prosperity of the future to far too great an extent.
From Deep Furrows by Hopkins Moorhouse
