bankrupt 1 of 3

bankrupt

2 of 3

verb

as in to ruin
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts several bad investments bankrupted him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bankrupt

3 of 3

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bankrupt distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of bankrupt are deplete, drain, exhaust, and impoverish. While all these words mean "to deprive of something essential to existence or potency," bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse.

war had bankrupted the nation of resources

When could deplete be used to replace bankrupt?

While in some cases nearly identical to bankrupt, deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function.

depleting our natural resources

In what contexts can drain take the place of bankrupt?

The synonyms drain and bankrupt are sometimes interchangeable, but drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence.

personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit

When is exhaust a more appropriate choice than bankrupt?

While the synonyms exhaust and bankrupt are close in meaning, exhaust stresses a complete emptying.

her lecture exhausted the subject

When would impoverish be a good substitute for bankrupt?

The meanings of impoverish and bankrupt largely overlap; however, impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness.

impoverished soil

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bankrupt
Adjective
Opinion The weight-loss club may be bankrupt, but diet culture has never been richer. Chloe Laws, Glamour, 9 May 2025 Last June, a judge signed off on Do Kwon and his bankrupt Terraform Labs settling with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for $4.5 billion. Mackenzie Sigalos, CNBC, 8 May 2025
Verb
Bureaucratic waste, fraud, and abuse are not bankrupting the U.S. government; benefits going to the American people are. Harpers Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025 The game wasn’t even close; Purdue took an early lead and maintained it, avoiding the upset and also potentially bankrupting my neighbors. Tyler Foggatt, The New Yorker, 23 Mar. 2025
Noun
The plan is intended to prevent the company from being dissolved, forced into liquidation or formally declared bankrupt. Michelle Toh, CNN, 19 May 2020 India was granted independence in 1947 by a Britain left bankrupt after World War II. Cassie Werber, Quartz, 17 Oct. 2019 See All Example Sentences for bankrupt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bankrupt
Adjective
  • Banking has become functionally correct but emotionally devoid, with the industry swimming in a sea of sameness.
    Michael Abbott, Forbes, 19 Mar. 2025
  • Delle, devoid for so long from its intrinsic need for social interaction might be filling in the gaps by talking to himself.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2023
Verb
  • However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families.
    Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 22 May 2025
  • But that stumble constitutes Hwang’s only confrontation with the hypocrisy that ruins Yellow Face and its inherent PBS conceit.
    Armond White, National Review, 21 May 2025
Noun
  • This omnibus pledge can have the effect of rendering the debtor insolvent such that any transfer that the debtor tries to make for asset protection purposes is voidable by a creditor.
    Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
  • This omnibus pledge can have the effect of rendering the debtor insolvent such that any transfer that the debtor tries to make for asset protection purposes is voidable by a creditor.
    Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Assuming Schoen continues his practice of not adding void years, the Giants could create $15.7 million in cap space with a max restructure of Burns’ contract, which runs through 2028.
    Dan Duggan, New York Times, 21 May 2025
  • Their current rotation is Zach Eflin, Dean Kremer, Cade Povich, Sugano, and the void Gibson left behind.
    Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes.com, 18 May 2025
Noun
  • He was also indicted for possession of a firearm by a delinquent.
    Greta Cross, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025
  • The judge presiding over the case could decide to send an 18-year-old to the Youth Part of the Supreme Court, according to Jackson, where the suspect would be considered a juvenile delinquent and thus treated more gingerly than an adult in their early 20s.
    Emma Tucker, CNN Money, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • Some of the 221 Nicaraguans were left completely destitute.
    CD Goette-Luciak, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2025
  • The bank seizes the family’s assets, leaving them relatively destitute.
    Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Those who hold advanced degrees in mathematics and analytics, or your favorite degenerate gambler, know any piece of datum is only reliant on the trove of data that occurred previously.
    Bill Speros, Boston Herald, 7 May 2025
  • This 24-hour dive near Uptown is for true degenerates looking to extend the party to unholy hours.
    David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bankrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bankrupt. Accessed 29 May. 2025.

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