bank·rupt
ˈbaŋk-(ˌ)rəpt 
1
a
: a debtor (such as an individual or an organization) whose property is subject to voluntary or involuntary administration under the bankruptcy laws for the benefit of the debtor's creditors
b
: a person who becomes insolvent
2
: a person who is completely lacking in a particular desirable quality or attribute
a moral bankrupt
1
a
: reduced to a state of financial ruin : impoverished
specifically
: legally declared bankrupt
the company went bankrupt
b
: of or relating to bankrupts or bankruptcy
bankrupt laws
bankrupted; bankrupting; bankrupts
1
: to reduce to bankruptcy
2
: impoverish
defections had bankrupted the party of its brainpower
Synonyms
Examples of bankrupt in a Sentence
Noun
As a lawyer, she specialized in working with bankrupts.
Adjective
The lawsuit could leave them bankrupt.
the company's product development team was bankrupt of ideas
Verb
Several risky deals bankrupted the company.
several bad investments bankrupted him
Recent Examples on the Web
Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2023
The plan is intended to prevent the company from being dissolved, forced into liquidation or formally declared bankrupt.
—Michelle Toh, CNN, 19 May 2020
India was granted independence in 1947 by a Britain left bankrupt after World War II.
—Cassie Werber, Quartz, 17 Oct. 2019
Ghosn was sent to Japan by Renault in the late 1990s and is credited with turning around a then near-bankrupt Nissan.
—Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2019
China’s Hong Kong puppet regime, albeit bankrupt of any legitimacy, is still unwilling to cede power to the people.
—Joshua Wong, Quartz, 3 Sep. 2019
From Henry Ford to Donald Trump, America has lionized business leaders (and shameless bankrupts) who disdain history.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 June 2019
That perception came back to bite in big way later in 2008, with the failure of investment bank Lehman Brothers, which went bankrupt on Sept. 15, 2008.
—Michael S. Derby, WSJ, 18 Sep. 2018
After earning $17 million, the men declared the company bankrupt.
—Jacob Bernstein, New York Times, 16 June 2018
Sara Youngblood Gregory, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2023
The shares had been caught up in a contentious ownership fight between FTX, the bankrupt crypto lender BlockFi Inc., and Bankman-Fried himself.
—Yueqi Yang, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2023
Then, in 2006 Cecchi Gori Group — which until the mid-1990s was Italy’s top production and distribution outfit — was officially ruled bankrupt by a Rome court after swimming in red ink for a decade.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 30 Aug. 2023
Photo: George Walker IV/Associated Press The dismantling of bankrupt trucker Yellow is shaping up as a bidding battle over real estate as trucking companies look to capitalize on a rare chance to snap up coveted freight terminals across North America.
—Paul Berger, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2023
Reuters 2 Old Dominion tops Estes bid for bankrupt Yellow's trucking terminals
Old Dominion Freight Line outbid rival Estes Express Lines with a $1.5 billion offer for bankrupt trucker Yellow's extensive North American real-estate holdings, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
—Harold Maass, The Week, 21 Aug. 2023
Known for purchasing and revamping L.A.’s bankrupt Roosevelt Hotel in 2005, Gaw was named one of richest persons in Hong Kong by Forbes in 2023, with his family’s net worth topping $1.7 billion.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2023
Management disarray during the final weeks of Christmas Tree Shops will block store employees from getting bonuses they were wrongly promised to stay on the job during going-out-of-business sales, according to the bankrupt discount retailer’s lender.
—Steven Church, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2023
Bed Bath & Beyond’s stores may be shuttering, but its brand will live on after Overstock.com won an auction for the bankrupt retailer’s intellectual property.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 22 June 2023
Christopher Morten, STAT, 9 Aug. 2023
With that and numerous subsequent pieces about dangers in and out of the workplace, Mr. Brodeur spurred public awareness of catastrophic environmental hazards, prompted more stringent laws and regulations, and provided fodder for uncounted thousands of lawsuits that bankrupted major corporations.
—Bryan Marquard, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2023
But what happened about 12 minutes in, as members of the north-central Wisconsin community squabbled over a resolution intended to promote diversity and inclusion, has become the subject of a bitter legal fight that threatens to bankrupt one of the few remaining sources of local news in the area.
—Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023
The federal government has a compelling interest to keep its citizens healthy without bankrupting itself.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 12 June 2023
Representatives have said this bolsters their position by disproving AMPTP’s argument that increased pay and better residuals will bankrupt Hollywood.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2023
In the new case, he is accused of leading an extremist group — his Anti-Corruption Foundation, which battled graft and theft by Russian officials until it was bankrupted by lawsuits brought by allies of President Vladimir Putin.
—Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 19 June 2023
Even still, Fox could likely absorb a sum in the billions without bankrupting its business.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2023
An op-ed was even published in the New England Journal of Medicine where economists opined that their coverage could bankrupt Medicare because so many people would qualify for their use.
—Time, 28 June 2023
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Noun
The fight almost bankrupts the town of Shelby, Montana, which borrowed heavily to stage it.
1930 — Helen Wills Moody wins her fourth straight singles title at Wimbledon with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Elizabeth Ryan.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2023
The plan is intended to prevent the company from being dissolved, forced into liquidation or formally declared bankrupt.
—Michelle Toh, CNN, 19 May 2020
India was granted independence in 1947 by a Britain left bankrupt after World War II.
—Cassie Werber, Quartz, 17 Oct. 2019
Ghosn was sent to Japan by Renault in the late 1990s and is credited with turning around a then near-bankrupt Nissan.
—Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2019
China’s Hong Kong puppet regime, albeit bankrupt of any legitimacy, is still unwilling to cede power to the people.
—Joshua Wong, Quartz, 3 Sep. 2019
From Henry Ford to Donald Trump, America has lionized business leaders (and shameless bankrupts) who disdain history.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 June 2019
That perception came back to bite in big way later in 2008, with the failure of investment bank Lehman Brothers, which went bankrupt on Sept. 15, 2008.
—Michael S. Derby, WSJ, 18 Sep. 2018
After earning $17 million, the men declared the company bankrupt.
—Jacob Bernstein, New York Times, 16 June 2018
Adjective
Some readers felt betrayed, regarding the acquisition as an ethically (though certainly not financially) bankrupt decision.
—Sara Youngblood Gregory, The New Republic, 7 Sep. 2023
The shares had been caught up in a contentious ownership fight between FTX, the bankrupt crypto lender BlockFi Inc., and Bankman-Fried himself.
—Yueqi Yang, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2023
Then, in 2006 Cecchi Gori Group — which until the mid-1990s was Italy’s top production and distribution outfit — was officially ruled bankrupt by a Rome court after swimming in red ink for a decade.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 30 Aug. 2023
Photo: George Walker IV/Associated Press The dismantling of bankrupt trucker Yellow is shaping up as a bidding battle over real estate as trucking companies look to capitalize on a rare chance to snap up coveted freight terminals across North America.
—Paul Berger, WSJ, 23 Aug. 2023
Reuters 2 Old Dominion tops Estes bid for bankrupt Yellow's trucking terminals
Old Dominion Freight Line outbid rival Estes Express Lines with a $1.5 billion offer for bankrupt trucker Yellow's extensive North American real-estate holdings, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
—Harold Maass, The Week, 21 Aug. 2023
Known for purchasing and revamping L.A.’s bankrupt Roosevelt Hotel in 2005, Gaw was named one of richest persons in Hong Kong by Forbes in 2023, with his family’s net worth topping $1.7 billion.
—Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 8 Aug. 2023
Management disarray during the final weeks of Christmas Tree Shops will block store employees from getting bonuses they were wrongly promised to stay on the job during going-out-of-business sales, according to the bankrupt discount retailer’s lender.
—Steven Church, Fortune, 16 Aug. 2023
Bed Bath & Beyond’s stores may be shuttering, but its brand will live on after Overstock.com won an auction for the bankrupt retailer’s intellectual property.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 22 June 2023
Verb
Publicly accountable public agencies can assure resilient supply chains and offer medicines at or even below cost, because keeping people healthy without bankrupting them in the process is good for society (and cost-effective to boot).
—Christopher Morten, STAT, 9 Aug. 2023
With that and numerous subsequent pieces about dangers in and out of the workplace, Mr. Brodeur spurred public awareness of catastrophic environmental hazards, prompted more stringent laws and regulations, and provided fodder for uncounted thousands of lawsuits that bankrupted major corporations.
—Bryan Marquard, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2023
But what happened about 12 minutes in, as members of the north-central Wisconsin community squabbled over a resolution intended to promote diversity and inclusion, has become the subject of a bitter legal fight that threatens to bankrupt one of the few remaining sources of local news in the area.
—Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2023
The federal government has a compelling interest to keep its citizens healthy without bankrupting itself.
—Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 12 June 2023
Representatives have said this bolsters their position by disproving AMPTP’s argument that increased pay and better residuals will bankrupt Hollywood.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2023
In the new case, he is accused of leading an extremist group — his Anti-Corruption Foundation, which battled graft and theft by Russian officials until it was bankrupted by lawsuits brought by allies of President Vladimir Putin.
—Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 19 June 2023
Even still, Fox could likely absorb a sum in the billions without bankrupting its business.
—Clare Malone, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2023
An op-ed was even published in the New England Journal of Medicine where economists opined that their coverage could bankrupt Medicare because so many people would qualify for their use.
—Time, 28 June 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bankrupt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
modification of Middle French & Old Italian; Middle French banqueroute bankruptcy, from Old Italian bancarotta, from banca bank + rotta broken, from Latin rupta, feminine of ruptus, past participle of rumpere to break — more at bank, reave
Phrases Containing bankrupt
Dictionary Entries Near bankrupt
Cite this Entry
“Bankrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bankrupt. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
bankrupt
1 of 3 noun
bank·rupt
ˈbaŋ-(ˌ)krəpt
: an individual or group who becomes bankrupt
especially
: one whose property by court order is turned over to be managed for the benefit of the creditors
bankrupt
2 of 3 adjective1
: unable to pay one's debts
2
: legally declared bankrupt
the company went bankrupt
bankrupt
3 of 3 verb
: to make bankrupt
Legal Definition
bankrupt
1 of 3 noun
bank·rupt
ˈbaŋ-ˌkrəpt
: a debtor (as an individual or organization) whose property is subject to administration under the bankruptcy laws for the benefit of the debtor's creditors
was adjudicated a bankrupt
see also debtor
bankrupt
2 of 3 adjective
: ruined financially
bankrupt
3 of 3 transitive verb
: to reduce to bankruptcy
was bankrupted by attorney's fees
More from Merriam-Webster on bankrupt
Nglish: Translation of bankrupt for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of bankrupt for Arabic Speakers
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