liquidate
verb
liq·ui·date
ˈli-kwə-ˌdāt 
liquidated; liquidating
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
1
: to liquidate debts, damages, or accounts
2
: to determine liabilities (see liability sense 2) and apportion assets toward discharging indebtedness
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
And now, with so few teams in rebuild mode, attention turns to the start of the season to see which teams get off to a slow start and decide to start liquidating veteran players in an effort toward drafting Gavin McKenna in 2026.
—
Arpon Basu, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
These steps allow savvy money managers to ride out periods of market decline without liquidating assets at the wrong moment.
—Jaime Catmull, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
After acquiring the land in 1947, Cal Fire liquidated nearly all remaining old-growth trees (20,000 acres worth), continuing into the 1980s.
—John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
But this comes at the cost of EchoStar liquidating most of its spectrum licenses, according to MoffettNathanson Research.
—PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liquidate
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Arpon Basu, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
These steps allow savvy money managers to ride out periods of market decline without liquidating assets at the wrong moment.
—Jaime Catmull, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
After acquiring the land in 1947, Cal Fire liquidated nearly all remaining old-growth trees (20,000 acres worth), continuing into the 1980s.
—John P. O’Brien, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
But this comes at the cost of EchoStar liquidating most of its spectrum licenses, according to MoffettNathanson Research.
—PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for liquidate
Cite this Entry
“Liquidate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liquidate. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
liquidate
verb
liq·ui·date
ˈlik-wə-ˌdāt
liquidated; liquidating
1
: pay off sense 1
liquidate a debt
2
: to put an end to : do away with
Legal Definition
liquidate
verb
liq·ui·date
ˈli-kwə-ˌdāt
liquidated; liquidating
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
: to liquidate something (as a corporation)
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