foreclose
/fɔɹˈkloʊz/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.51 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To repossess a mortgaged property whose owner has failed to make the necessary payments; used with on.
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "They have to move out of their house because the bank foreclosed on their mortgage."
- "The embargo with Spain foreclosed this trade."
- "One of the paradoxes of Ostpolitik, as practiced by Brandt and his successors, was that by transferring large sums of hard currency into East Germany and showering the GDR with recognition, attention, and support, West German officials unintentionally foreclosed any chance of internal change, including reform of Eastern Germany’s polluted, antiquated industrial economy."
- "to foreclose the possibility completely. she packed the footwell of the passenger seat with her duffel bag and camping gear and buckled a stack of seed trays on to the seat."
Etymology
Partially from Middle English foreclosen, forclosen, from Old French forclos, past participle of forclore (“to exclude”), from for- (“(prefix used to express error, exclusion, or inadequacy)”) + clore (“to shut”), and partially from Middle English forclusen (“to close up”), from Old English forclȳsan (“to close up”), equivalent to fore- + close.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /fɔɹˈkloʊz/
- British English: /fɔːˈkləʊz/