bankrupt

noun bank·rupt \ ˈbaŋk-(ˌ)rəpt \

|Updated on: 14 Jun 2018

Definition of bankrupt

1 a : 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

See bankrupt defined for English-language learners

See bankrupt defined for kids

Examples of bankrupt in a Sentence

As a lawyer, she specialized in working with bankrupts.

Recent Examples of bankrupt from the Web

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
Power restoration is at a crawl because the grid collapsed, the utility is bankrupt and the logistics are daunting: Crews and supplies have to come from the mainland, then make their way into rugged interior areas like Utuado.

— Washington Post, "Life Without Power," 14 Dec. 2017
In Italy, administrators are seeking bids for all or parts of flag carrier Alitalia SpA, which was declared bankrupt in May. Bids are due Oct. 16 for a process that is expected to run into 2018.

— robert wall, WSJ, "Air Berlin Collapse Kicks Off European Airline Consolidation," 12 Oct. 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of bankrupt

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

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First Known Use: 1638

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

bankrupt

adjective

Definition of bankrupt

1 a : 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

2 a : 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

See bankrupt defined for English-language learners

Examples of bankrupt in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of bankrupt from the Web

The reason: a petition filed the day before in federal court in Orlando, Fla., by a 48-year-old local man named Gerald Tobin to have the law firm declared bankrupt.

— alexandra berzon, WSJ, "Stormy Daniels Lawyer Michael Avenatti Dogged by His Own Legal Battles," 1 June 2018
Like O'Neill's masterpiece, Buried Child focuses on a spiritually bankrupt family torn asunder and glued together by unspeakable secrets.

— justin hayford, Chicago Reader, "Writers Theatre's Buried Child sacrifices Sam Shepard's ghoulish humor for tragedy," 23 May 2018
That decision enabled the bankrupt network to be sold in 2014 to AT&T, which now operates it as AT&T SportsNet Southwest.

— david barron, Houston Chronicle, "Court to hear more arguments in Comcast SportsNet bankruptcy case," 22 May 2018
The series of lies and betrayals that allegedly led up to the shooting are at least as galling, and every bit as bankrupt.

— nestor ramos, BostonGlobe.com, "Shaun Harrison and a litany of betrayals," 18 May 2018
Villella, however, was also in charge in 2012 when the ballet fell prey to a $1.5 million-deficit that threatened to bankrupt the company, and he was likely pushed out by the board.

— jose lambiet, miamiherald, "Ballet founder asks court for OK to include Edward Villella in memoir | Miami Herald," 16 May 2018
The liquidators who bought the assets of bankrupt Bon-Ton Stores Inc. wasted no time.

— rick romell, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "As Boston Store liquidates, going-out-of-business posters replace window displays," 20 Apr. 2018
The tower was sold when Merritt Commercial Savings and Loan went bankrupt and was later renamed the William Donald Schaefer Building.

— baltimoresun.com, "This Day in History: May 22," 22 May 2018
If that doesn't happen, authority board members warned, the levee district will be bankrupt within three years, or the district's drainage and pump stations won't be manned, leading to flooding during rainfall events.

— mark schleifstein, NOLA.com, "East bank levee authority could return drainage, pump operations to St. Bernard Parish," 17 May 2018

First Known Use of bankrupt

1565

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

bankrupt Synonyms

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

bankrupt

verb

Definition of bankrupt

bankrupted; bankrupting; bankrupts

transitive verb

1 : to reduce to bankruptcy

2 : impoverish

defections had bankrupted the party of its brainpower

See bankrupt defined for English-language learners

Examples of bankrupt in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of bankrupt from the Web

Indoctrinated into Kenyan anti-colonialism by his absent father, Obama was trying to bankrupt the U.S. as a means of shifting the balance of global power to the developing world.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Pardons Dinesh D’Souza, in Triumph for Social Justice," 31 May 2018
Try it all out—without bankrupting yourself—and then stick with whatever works for you.

— brennan kilbane, GQ, "The Least Stressful Way to Get Rid of Stress," 16 May 2018
Recently bankrupted retail brand Toys ‘R’ Us is auctioning off its intellectual property as part of efforts to repay creditors, Reuters reports.

— dani deahl, The Verge, "Toys ‘R’ Us is selling off its intellectual assets, including kinky domain names," 15 May 2018
The housing crisis and the Great Recession that followed bankrupted black America.

— jason johnson, The Root, "When White Politicians Profit Off Black Pain and Then Go Begging for Black Votes: Georgia Edition," 9 May 2018
In September 2000, the Keenans won a $6.3 million judgment, bankrupting the Aryan Nations and forcing the group to turn its compound over to the plaintiffs.

— sven berg, idahostatesman, "Hate watchdog SPLC flags small Northwest churches — and rakes in the cash | Idaho Statesman," 22 Apr. 2018
Puerto Rico was suffering a massive and unprecedented population loss before Hurricane Maria hit, largely because of a debt crisis that bankrupted the island's government and crippled the economy.

— CNN, "Estimating departures from Puerto Rico," 21 Apr. 2018
Greer said footing his $250,000 costs of the trial and paid experts nearly bankrupted his firm.

— pauline repard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Questions, theories, opinions abound after Zahau wrongful death verdict," 8 Apr. 2018
If passed, the bills could bankrupt existing wind farms, said Mark Yates, the head of the Oklahoma Wind Coalition, which lobbies for the industry.

— ryan maye handy, Houston Chronicle, "Oklahoma lawmakers propose cutting tax credits for wind farms," 14 Mar. 2018

First Known Use of bankrupt

circa 1625

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

bankrupt Synonyms

Synonyms

break, bust, ruin;

Near Antonyms

enrich, richen;

Related Words

beggar, impoverish, pauperize;

reduce, straiten;

clean (out), wipe out;

Synonym Discussion of bankrupt

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

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

BANKRUPT Defined for English Language Learners

bankrupt

noun

Definition of bankrupt for English Language Learners

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

bankrupt

adjective

Definition of bankrupt for English Language Learners

: unable to pay debts
—used to say that someone or something completely lacks a good or desired quality

bankrupt

verb

Definition of bankrupt for English Language Learners

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

BANKRUPT Defined for Kids

bankrupt

adjective bank·rupt \ ˈbaŋk-ˌrəpt \

Definition of bankrupt for Students

: not having enough money to pay debts

bankrupt

verb

Definition of bankrupt for Students

bankrupted; bankrupting

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

bankrupt

noun

Definition of bankrupt for Students

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

Law Dictionary

bankrupt

noun bank·rupt \ ˈbaŋ-ˌkrəpt \

legal Definition of bankrupt

: 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

adjective

legal Definition of bankrupt

: ruined financially; especially : judicially declared a bankrupt

the company is bankrupt

— compare insolvent

bankrupt

transitive verb

legal Definition of bankrupt

: to reduce to bankruptcy

was bankrupted by attorney's fees

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bankrupt

Definition of bankrupt

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bankrupt

Definition of bankrupt

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bankrupt

Definition of bankrupt

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Recent Examples of bankrupt from the Web

First Known Use of bankrupt

bankrupt Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of bankrupt

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BANKRUPT Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of bankrupt for English Language Learners

bankrupt

Definition of bankrupt for English Language Learners

bankrupt

Definition of bankrupt for English Language Learners

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Definition of bankrupt for Students

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legal Definition of bankrupt

bankrupt

legal Definition of bankrupt

bankrupt

legal Definition of bankrupt

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