foreclosure

noun

fore·​clo·​sure (ˌ)fȯr-ˈklō-zhər How to pronounce foreclosure (audio)
: an act or instance of foreclosing
specifically : a legal proceeding that bars or extinguishes a mortgagor's right of redeeming a mortgaged estate

Examples of foreclosure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Alviso Park, an LLC comprised of individual real estate investors, was the entity that had previously owned the building and allowed the property to tumble into foreclosure. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 And in Los Angeles, the 19-story Fairmont Century Plaza fell into foreclosure last year. Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Feb. 2024 As a result, the property went into foreclosure in 2017, leaving city officials to consider other ideas. Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 29 Feb. 2024 Without the aid, homes could fall into property tax foreclosure. Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 27 Feb. 2024 In the fall of 2021, JGB sued Ms. Blouin and attempted to place La Dune into foreclosure. Jacob Bernstein, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2024 Defaults and foreclosures pushed thousands of households back into renting. Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2024 In April, New York’s Metropolitan Commercial Bank filed a lawsuit in Johnson County Court seeking foreclosure of the property, saying the owners missed several mortgage payments. Sarah Ritter, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2024 The neighborhood also faced decline when several residents lost their homes to tax foreclosure. Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foreclosure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1713, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of foreclosure was in 1713

Dictionary Entries Near foreclosure

Cite this Entry

“Foreclosure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreclosure. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

foreclosure

noun
fore·​clos·​ure fōr-ˈklō-zhər How to pronounce foreclosure (audio)
1
: a legal proceeding that bars or extinguishes a mortgagor's equity of redemption in mortgaged real property see also deficiency judgment at judgment, redeem, right of redemption, statutory foreclosure, strict foreclosure sense 1
2
: the extinguishment (as under the provisions of Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code) of the rights of a debtor in personal property subject to a security interest by judicial proceedings and especially by judicial sale see also strict foreclosure sense 2

More from Merriam-Webster on foreclosure

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