foreclosure

noun

fore·​clo·​sure (ˌ)fȯr-ˈklō-zhər 

: an act or instance of foreclosing

specifically : a legal proceeding that bars or extinguishes a mortgagor's right of redeeming a mortgaged estate

Examples of foreclosure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Last month, a foreclosure auction on several hundred lots owned by the Justice family at a resort community near Beckley was paused. —John Raby, Fortune, 25 Nov. 2025

The house and attached parcels, off Highway 49 East near Springfield, went into foreclosure May 14 after Historic Beeches defaulted on a more than $4 million loan to Apex Bank in March, the records show. —Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 23 Nov. 2025

Anderson says that the repairs have been too expensive to cover on his end, leaving foreclosure as his only recourse. —Megan De Mar, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025

The plaintiff in the foreclosure lawsuit was seeking more than $5 million as of February. —Joseph Flaherty, Arkansas Online, 17 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1713, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for foreclosure

• nondisclosure
• postexposure
• closure
• crozier
• hosier
• mosher
• composure
• cynosure
• disclosure
• enclosure
• exposure
• inclosure

Legal Definition

foreclosure

noun

fore·​clos·​ure fōr-ˈklō-zhər 

1

: a legal proceeding that bars or extinguishes a mortgagor's equity of redemption in mortgaged real property see also deficiency judgment at judgment, redeem, right of redemption, statutory foreclosure, strict foreclosure sense 1

2

: the extinguishment (as under the provisions of Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code) of the rights of a debtor in personal property subject to a security interest by judicial proceedings and especially by judicial sale see also strict foreclosure sense 2