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

This focus on their past appeals to the story’s lowest hanging fruit, which is its sense of incipient tragedy, the foreclosure of the possibility for happiness. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 27 Mar. 2026

The owner of the financially ailing Blackhawk Plaza in the Danville area filed for bankruptcy, a court process that might help the commercial hub that’s fallen on rough times to avoid foreclosure and seizure by its lender. —George Avalos, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026

Indiana led the United States in February foreclosure rates. —Evan Frank, IndyStar, 26 Mar. 2026

Queen City Quarter was renovated and rebranded after lender Deutsche Bank purchased the 302,324-square-foot, mixed-use center for $95 million at a foreclosure auction in 2022. —Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2026

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