liquidate

verb

liq·​ui·​date ˈli-kwə-ˌdāt How to pronounce liquidate (audio)
liquidated; liquidating

transitive verb

1
a(1)
: to determine by agreement or by litigation the precise amount of (indebtedness, damages, or accounts)
(2)
: to determine the liabilities (see liability sense 2) and apportion assets toward discharging the indebtedness of
b
: to settle (a debt) by payment or other settlement
liquidate a loan
2
archaic : to make clear
3
: to do away with especially by killing
was hired to liquidate a certain businessman
4
: to convert (assets) into cash
liquidated his securities

intransitive verb

1
: to liquidate debts, damages, or accounts
2
: to determine liabilities (see liability sense 2) and apportion assets toward discharging indebtedness
liquidation noun

Examples of liquidate in a Sentence

The owners were ordered to liquidate the company and pay their creditors. The company is liquidating its assets. The owners were ordered to liquidate. The film is about a professional killer who's hired to liquidate a powerful businessman.
Recent Examples on the Web Another, China Evergrande, is being liquidated with more than $300 billion in debt. Dake Kang and Elaine Kurtenbach, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 The news, which sent shares in the developer falling by more than 12%, comes just a month after rival property firm Evergrande was ordered to liquidate by a Hong Kong court in a landmark ruling. Juliana Liu, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024 Investors facing margin calls or needing to rebalance portfolios in response to market changes may be compelled to liquidate assets, including real estate holdings. Danny Kattan, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Criminals then instruct victims to liquidate their assets. USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024 Further, even if Strauss' captive clients pay the IRS, with the absence of Strauss to give guidance those captive clients may face a big mess unwinding and finally liquidating their captives. Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024 The painting finally resurfaced in 2021 while an accounting firm in Utah was preparing to liquidate the belongings of a deceased client named James R. Gullo, reports the Washington Post. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2024 But last spring, Sunnyvale Community Services found itself in a tricky situation, needing to liquidate its bank loan at a time when donations were in decline. Sal Pizarro, The Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2024 The firm says crude stocks tend to decline at the end of the year as oil companies liquidate year-end inventories for tax purposes. WSJ, 4 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'liquidate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin liquidatus, past participle of liquidare to melt, from Latin liquidus

First Known Use

circa 1575, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of liquidate was circa 1575

Dictionary Entries Near liquidate

Cite this Entry

“Liquidate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liquidate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

liquidate

verb
liq·​ui·​date ˈlik-wə-ˌdāt How to pronounce liquidate (audio)
liquidated; liquidating
1
: pay off sense 1
liquidate a debt
2
: to put an end to : do away with
liquidation noun

Legal Definition

liquidate

verb
liq·​ui·​date ˈli-kwə-ˌdāt How to pronounce liquidate (audio)
liquidated; liquidating

transitive verb

1
: to determine by agreement or litigation the precise amount of
also : to settle (a debt) by payment or other adjustment
2
a
: to determine the liabilities and apportion the assets of especially in bankruptcy or dissolution
liquidate a corporation
compare bankruptcy
b
: to convert (as assets) into cash
liquidate an estate

intransitive verb

: to liquidate something (as a corporation)
liquidation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on liquidate

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