bankrupt

noun

bank·rupt | \ ˈbaŋk-(ˌ)rəpt

Definition of bankrupt

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : a debtor (such as an individual or an organization) whose property is subject to voluntary or involuntary administration under the bankrupcy 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

bankrupt

adjective

Definition of bankrupt (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : reduced to a state of financial ruin : impoverished specifically : legally declared a bankrupt the company went bankrupt

b : of or relating to bankrupts or bankruptcy bankrupt laws

2a : broken, ruined a bankrupt professional career

b : exhausted of valuable qualities : sterile a bankrupt old culture

c : destitute —used with of or in bankrupt of all merciful feelings

bankrupt

verb

bankrupted; bankrupting; bankrupts

Definition of bankrupt (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to reduce to bankruptcy

2 : impoverish defections had bankrupted the party of its brainpower

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about bankrupt

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for bankrupt

Synonyms: Adjective

bare, barren, bereft, destitute, devoid, void

Synonyms: Verb

break, bust, ruin

Antonyms: Adjective

filled, flush, fraught, full, replete, rife

Choose the Right Synonym for bankrupt

Verb

deplete, drain, exhaust, impoverish, bankrupt mean to deprive of something essential to existence or potency. deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function. depleting our natural resources drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence. personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit exhaust stresses a complete emptying. her lecture exhausted the subject impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness. impoverished soil bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse. war had bankrupted the nation of resources

Examples of bankrupt in a Sentence

Noun

As a lawyer, she specialized in working with bankrupts.

Adjective

The lawsuit could leave them bankrupt. she's a kind soul, but bankrupt of all common sense, I'm afraid

Verb

Several risky deals bankrupted the company. several bad investments bankrupted him

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

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, "New York Fed Says It Wound Down Crisis Bailout Facility With $2.5 Billion Profit," 18 Sep. 2018 After earning $17 million, the men declared the company bankrupt. — Jacob Bernstein, New York Times, "The Great Interview Magazine Caper," 16 June 2018 Tarsila, bankrupt, divorced from de Andrade and increasingly Marxist, would veer into a more politically engaged style. — Jason Farago, New York Times, "She Led Latin American Art in a Bold New Direction," 15 Feb. 2018 Alitalia was officially declared bankrupt in May, when staff rejected a restructuring plan. — Stephen Wilmot, WSJ, "Airline Dealmaking Won’t Cure Europe’s Profit Problem," 2 Aug. 2017 The business, which went bankrupt in previous incarnations in 2005 and 2009, may still find a way to restructure its debt out of court. — Lauren Coleman-lochner, Bloomberg.com, "Winn-Dixie and Tops Owners Are Said to Prepare for Bankruptcy," 17 Feb. 2018 Prior to the label going bankrupt, PolyGram Records purchased 50 percent of Def Jam, and took control of distribution to save the label. — Michael Saponara, Billboard, "A Timeline of the Major Events That Defined Def Jam's Legacy in Hip-Hop," 25 Jan. 2018 By Preston Turegano, Staff writer A new era begins today for the once bankrupt and demoralized San Diego Symphony. — sandiegouniontribune.com, "Record symphony gift," 14 Jan. 2018 The family sold the company in 1968 to Southland Dairy, which went bankrupt in the early 1990s. — Julia Terruso, Philly.com, "Kensington's giant milk bottle gets historic designation," 12 Jan. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Recall that Trump was $4 billion in debt after his Atlantic City casinos went bankrupt. — Sean Illing, Vox, "Trump’s ties to the Russian mafia go back 3 decades," 8 Dec. 2018 The Plaza, drowning in debt, was bankrupt in four years. — Susanne Craig, The Seattle Times, "Trump engaged in suspect tax schemes as he reaped riches from father," 2 Oct. 2018 Over the years, Tepper made billions from risky bets on investments such as Russian debt and bonds from bankrupt companies. — Katherine Peralta And Joseph Person, charlotteobserver, "A new chapter is about to begin for the Carolina Panthers. Here's what we know.," 29 June 2018 Since Pegasus went bankrupt, the state has paid more than $35 million for cleanup work at the company’s mines. — Matthew Brown, The Seattle Times, "US agency gives initial OK to Montana mine tied up in court," 28 Aug. 2018 As a result, the increasing portion of our nation’s economy allocated to health-care spending will eventually, if not reversed, bankrupt our federal government. — WSJ, "Does Health Care Need to Cost This Much?," 6 Aug. 2018 But Puerto Rico's power authority, PREPA, which is undergoing major changes and is bankrupt, has not agreed to buy the generators so far. — NBC News, "U.S. plans to remove backup power generators in Puerto Rico. Officials worry it's hurricane season.," 11 July 2018 The United Way said this was due to the loss of several important corporate partners that went bankrupt, downsized or relocated in the past year. — Stephanie Morse, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee area United Way announces $56 million fundraising goal," 21 June 2018 They got busted in 2008, one company went bankrupt, and several executives served jail time. — Rachel Slade, BostonGlobe.com, "How cheap is too cheap?," 13 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Some even predict that so many small startups will be bankrupted by the compliance costs, there might be a bit of a pot property bubble, which will lead to underpriced assets and consolidation. — Patrick Sisson, Curbed, "Cannabis, coworking, and the marijuana-industry land rush," 24 July 2018 Not so for your typical startup, however, which might be bankrupted by the cost. — Hiawatha Bray, BostonGlobe.com, "Calif.’s Net privacy law gives consumers more clout, and Big Tech may be just fine with that," 1 July 2018 China’s move to begin hoarding the fiber eight years ago pushed cotton prices above $2 a pound in 2011, bankrupting some mills and merchants globally. — Julie Wernau, WSJ, "China Becoming a Major Buyer of U.S. Cotton After Years of Stockpiling," 10 June 2018 The Obama administration’s regulatory response bankrupted some institutions. — New York Times, "With Legislation Stalled, DeVos Moves to Wield Deregulatory Power," 31 May 2018 Middleton has said his sisters wanted to liquidate their ownership stakes in the cigar company because of the threat of lawsuits or new regulations that could bankrupt the company, leaving him to take the risk of owning it alone. — Bob Fernandez, Philly.com, "Philly law firm Schnader Harrison, lawyer sued in Middleton brother-sister feud over billions," 26 June 2018 That means that an accident or illness could still bankrupt you. — Liz Weston, latimes.com, "When a Social Security spousal benefit goof is suspected," 17 June 2018 The bankrupted victim in that case later took his own life. — Pauline Repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Robber gets 15 years for $1.5M jewel theft, assault in University Town Center," 12 July 2018 Well, first of all, what about the American companies the Chinese have bankrupted, like the American companies that partnered with the Chinese company? — Fox News, "Sen. Rubio on fears China is winning trade war with the US," 23 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bankrupt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about bankrupt

Dictionary Entries near bankrupt

Statistics for bankrupt

Last Updated

27 Nov 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for bankrupt

The first known use of bankrupt was in 1565

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for bankrupt

bankrupt

noun

English Language Learners Definition of bankrupt

(Entry 1 of 3)

: a person, business, etc., that is unable to pay debts

bankrupt

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of bankrupt (Entry 2 of 3)

: unable to pay debts

—used to say that someone or something completely lacks a good or desired quality

bankrupt

verb

English Language Learners Definition of bankrupt (Entry 3 of 3)

: to cause (a person, business, etc.) to be unable to pay debts : to make (someone or something) bankrupt

See the full definition for bankrupt in the English Language Learners Dictionary

bankrupt

adjective

bank·rupt | \ ˈbaŋk-ˌrəpt

Kids Definition of bankrupt

(Entry 1 of 3)

: not having enough money to pay debts

bankrupt

verb

bankrupted; bankrupting

Kids Definition of bankrupt (Entry 2 of 3)

: to cause to not have enough money to pay debts That last risky deal bankrupted the company.

bankrupt

noun

Kids Definition of bankrupt (Entry 3 of 3)

: a person or business that does not have enough money to pay debts

bankrupt

noun

bank·rupt | \ ˈbaŋ-ˌkrəpt

Legal Definition of bankrupt

(Entry 1 of 3)

: 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