foreclosure

noun

fore·​clo·​sure (ˌ)fȯr-ˈklō-zhər 

: 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

Nationwide, 1 in every 3,992 housing units had a foreclosure filing in November, according to ATTOM. —Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025

After several years of litigation and an unexpected trial, the foreclosure process can finally begin at the Mission Gateway site. —Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 10 Dec. 2025

The building is now in foreclosure, and tenants have been ordered out with nowhere to go and have been priced out of the neighborhood. —Marissa Perlman, CBS News, 8 Dec. 2025

The loan delinquency that led to the foreclosure underscores the financial difficulties that loom over offices in multiple East Bay markets. —George Avalos, Mercury News, 5 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1713, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for foreclosure

• nondisclosure
• postexposure
• closure
• crozier
• hosier
• mosher
• composure
• cynosure
• disclosure
• enclosure
• exposure
• inclosure

Legal Definition

foreclosure

noun

fore·​clos·​ure fōr-ˈklō-zhər 

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