foreclose
verb
fore·close
(ˌ)fȯr-ˈklōz 
foreclosed; foreclosing; forecloses
1
: to shut out : preclude
2
: to hold exclusively
3
: to deal with or close in advance
4
: to subject to foreclosure proceedings
: to foreclose a mortgage
Examples of foreclose in a Sentence
They've been unable to make their mortgage payments, and the bank has threatened to foreclose.
The bank has threatened to foreclose their mortgage.
Recent Examples on the Web
The war would have ended sooner, saving American and Vietnamese lives and foreclosing its bitter legacy.
—
Michael Tubridy, New York Daily News, 31 May 2024
Those liens could give the city the leverage to foreclose on the building or seek a buyer interested in redeveloping the property.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2024
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the pair's bank lender, Truist, agreed to cease foreclosure for the next 90 days, so the former couple can try to sell their Alpharetta home without it being foreclosed on.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 3 June 2024
The war and Putin’s escalating confrontation with the West are foreclosing the space for internal divisions and disagreements.
—Tatiana Stanovaya, Foreign Affairs, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for foreclose 
Michael Tubridy, New York Daily News, 31 May 2024
Those liens could give the city the leverage to foreclose on the building or seek a buyer interested in redeveloping the property.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2024
According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, the pair's bank lender, Truist, agreed to cease foreclosure for the next 90 days, so the former couple can try to sell their Alpharetta home without it being foreclosed on.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 3 June 2024
The war and Putin’s escalating confrontation with the West are foreclosing the space for internal divisions and disagreements.
—Tatiana Stanovaya, Foreign Affairs, 9 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for foreclose
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foreclose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near foreclose
Cite this Entry
“Foreclose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreclose. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
foreclose
verb
fore·close
(ˈ)fōr-ˈklōz
(ˈ)fȯr-
: to take legal measures to end a mortgage and take possession of the mortgaged property because the conditions of the mortgage have not been met
foreclosure
noun
-ˈklō-zhər
Legal Definition
foreclose
verb
fore·close
fōr-ˈklōz
: to subject to foreclosure proceedings
: to foreclose a mortgage or other security interest compare repossess, seize sense 2
Etymology
Anglo-French forclos, past participle of foreclore to preclude, prevent, from fors outside + clore to close
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