deleveraging

American  

[dee-lev-er-ij-ing, ‑lee-ver‑] / diˈlɛv ər ɪdʒ ɪŋ, ‑li vər‑ /

noun

1. the act or process of paying off or reducing debt; a decreasing of financial leverage.

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Etymology

Origin of deleveraging

First recorded in 1975–80; de- ( def. ) + leveraging ( def. )

Example Sentences

If there is deleveraging among them at some point, it could shrink the opportunity set that banks are competing over.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

It plans to pause its share buyback program to give priority to deleveraging quickly after the deal and will resume it after making progress, the people familiar with the matter said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

First, he pointed to deleveraging that often takes place in an asset in which investors have ample profits, irrespective of its fundamental drivers.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

It added: “In the short term, deleveraging and a stronger dollar, may weigh on prices without removing the underlying reasons investors have increasingly been flocking to hard assets in recent years.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 9, 2026

“We are going through the greatest deleveraging in the history of financial services and it’s going to go on and on and on,” he said.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis