foreclose
verb
fore·close
(ˌ)fȯr-ˈklōz 
foreclosed; foreclosing; forecloses
1
: to shut out : preclude
2
: to hold exclusively
3
: to deal with or close in advance
4
: to subject to foreclosure proceedings
: to foreclose a mortgage
Examples of foreclose in a Sentence
They've been unable to make their mortgage payments, and the bank has threatened to foreclose.
The bank has threatened to foreclose their mortgage.
Recent Examples on the Web
If the market goes up, keep the buyer’s deposit and allow the lender to foreclose.
—
Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2025
By peremptorily shutting the door to Ukraine, Hegseth not only foreclosed the kind of arrangement that might secure Ukraine from future Russian aggression but also ceded a key point of leverage over Putin—before a single bargaining session.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2025
What’s more, Baldwin said, there are numerous other households with years-old unpaid fines, but none of them has been foreclosed on, based on information from his online HOA portal.
—Nora O’Neill, Charlotte Observer, 13 Jan. 2025
As a second choice option, the construction lender will sometimes foreclose.
—Joshua Stein, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreclose
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Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 2 Mar. 2025
By peremptorily shutting the door to Ukraine, Hegseth not only foreclosed the kind of arrangement that might secure Ukraine from future Russian aggression but also ceded a key point of leverage over Putin—before a single bargaining session.
—Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2025
What’s more, Baldwin said, there are numerous other households with years-old unpaid fines, but none of them has been foreclosed on, based on information from his online HOA portal.
—Nora O’Neill, Charlotte Observer, 13 Jan. 2025
As a second choice option, the construction lender will sometimes foreclose.
—Joshua Stein, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreclose
Cite this Entry
“Foreclose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreclose. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
foreclose
verb
fore·close
(ˈ)fōr-ˈklōz
(ˈ)fȯr-
: to take legal measures to end a mortgage and take possession of the mortgaged property because the conditions of the mortgage have not been met
foreclosure
noun
-ˈklō-zhər
Legal Definition
foreclose
verb
fore·close
fōr-ˈklōz
: to subject to foreclosure proceedings
: to foreclose a mortgage or other security interest compare repossess, seize sense 2
Etymology
Anglo-French forclos, past participle of foreclore to preclude, prevent, from fors outside + clore to close
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