foreclose

verb

fore·​close (ˌ)fȯr-ˈklōz 

foreclosed; foreclosing; forecloses

transitive verb

1

: to shut out : preclude

2

: to hold exclusively

3

: to deal with or close in advance

4

: to subject to foreclosure proceedings

intransitive verb

: to foreclose a mortgage

Examples of foreclose in a Sentence

They've been unable to make their mortgage payments, and the bank has threatened to foreclose.

The bank has threatened to foreclose their mortgage.

Recent Examples on the Web

The home had recently been foreclosed on and purchased by FGH Investment, a company registered to an El Monte property that also housed offices for Xuan’s surrogacy business, according to California secretary of state records and a civil lawsuit. — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026

The judge cleared the way to foreclosing on the property with a final judgment this month, the Kansas City Business Journal reported. — Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026

The companies also asked the Boulder County District Court to dismiss the case on the grounds that federal law foreclosed the claims against them. — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

This moment captures a tension that Said faced in battling assumptions that deep political engagement somehow foreclosed the possibility of other interests. — Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French forclos, past participle of forclore, forsclore, from fors outside (from Latin foris) + clore to close — more at forum

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for foreclose

• agarose
• aliquots
• amigos
• anthracnose
• bottlenose
• buffaloes
• bungalows
• calicoes
• cameos
• commandos
• conversos
• decompose

Kids Definition

foreclose

verb

fore·​close (ˈ)fōr-ˈklōz 

(ˈ)fȯr-

: to take legal measures to end a mortgage and take possession of the mortgaged property because the conditions of the mortgage have not been met

foreclosure

-ˈklō-zhər

noun

Legal Definition

foreclose

verb

fore·​close fōr-ˈklōz 

transitive verb

: to subject to foreclosure proceedings

intransitive verb

: to foreclose a mortgage or other security interest compare repossess, seize sense 2

Etymology

Anglo-French forclos, past participle of foreclore to preclude, prevent, from fors outside + clore to close