bankrupt

verb

bankrupted; bankrupting; bankrupts

transitive verb

1

: to reduce to bankruptcy

2

: impoverish

defections had bankrupted the party of its brainpower

Synonyms of bankrupt

• ruin

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of bankrupt in a Sentence

Several risky deals bankrupted the company.

several bad investments bankrupted him

Recent Examples on the Web

Character also involves standing up to people who are bankrupting and corrupting this country. —CBS News, 31 May 2026

He is relieved is working at a plant in Elkhart, Indiana which was once a 100-year-old family business, and was bought by a new investor who has nearly bankrupted it in two years. —Teresa Ghilarducci, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026

Arturo Holmes | Getty Images Authentic generates about $38 billion in systemwide retail sales and has become a major force in the retail industry, known for buying the intellectual property behind popular brands that are distressed or bankrupt and licensing that IP for lucrative royalties. —Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 20 May 2026

Several of the firms described in detailed filings how the orders, if implemented, would effectively bankrupt them. —Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 14 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bankrupt

• go bankrupt
• morally bankrupt

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 adjective

1

: 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

especially : judicially declared a bankrupt

the company is bankrupt

compare insolvent

bankrupt

3 of 3 transitive verb

: to reduce to bankruptcy

was bankrupted by attorney's fees