insolvent

adjective

in·sol·vent | \ (ˌ)in-ˈsäl-vənt

, -ˈsȯl-\

Definition of insolvent

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : unable to pay debts as they fall due in the usual course of business

b : having liabilities in excess of a reasonable market value of assets held

2 : insufficient to pay all debts an insolvent estate

insolvent

noun

plural insolvents

Definition of insolvent (Entry 2 of 2)

: an insolvent debtor : a person or entity that is unable to pay debts as they fall due The country's newspapers regularly published legal notices that announced private assignments for the benefit of creditors, the attachments by creditors against the property of absconding debtors, and court-mandated auctions of assets owned by insolvents.— Edward J. Balleisen

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Examples of insolvent in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Lenders sued, arguing that PetSmart was insolvent at the time of the transfer and that the move was fraudulent. — latimes.com, "Chewy raises $1 billion in IPO, and stock soars in trading debut," 14 June 2019 That starts with reforming the Brazilian public-sector pension system, which is insolvent. — Mary Anastasia O’grady, WSJ, "Brazil’s Would-Be Giant Slayer," 14 Apr. 2019 The charges were announced the same day as the National Credit Union Administration said the credit union was insolvent and had no prospect of restoring operations on its own. — Amanda Lee Myers, The Seattle Times, "Credit union liquidated as manager charged with embezzlement," 29 Mar. 2019 Ojakian has said the colleges would be insolvent long before that process would be completed. — Kathleen Megan, courant.com, "CSCU President Says He Won't Resign And He Will Continue To Pursue College Merger," 1 May 2018 Bailing out insolvent financial institutions is inevitably political. — WSJ, "Considering Lehman’s Failure 10 Years Later," 19 Sep. 2018 All told, over 1,500 companies are said to have been deemed insolvent by the courts. — The Economist, "A new bankruptcy code is reshaping Indian business," 19 Apr. 2018 In its letter, Marble Ridge argues Neiman Marcus is insolvent, saying its debt load is 10 times its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. — Soma Biswas, WSJ, "Neiman Marcus Bondholder Criticizes Transfer of Valuable Online Business," 21 Sep. 2018 The pension insurer expects that plans covering roughly 1.3 million people will become insolvent in the next 20 years. — Tatyana Shumsky, WSJ, "PBGC’s Single-Employer Program Records First Surplus Since 2001," 16 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'insolvent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.