foreclose

[ fawr-klohz, fohr- ]

verb (used with object)

, fore·closed, fore·clos·ing.

1. Law.
   1. to deprive (a mortgagor or pledgor) of the right to redeem their property, especially on failure to make payment on a mortgage when due, ownership of property then passing to the mortgagee.
   2. to take away the right to redeem (a mortgage or pledge).
2. to shut out; exclude; bar.
3. to hinder or prevent, as from doing something.
4. to establish an exclusive claim to.
5. to close, settle, or answer beforehand.

verb (used without object)

, fore·closed, fore·clos·ing.

1. to take away the right to redeem a mortgage or pledge.

foreclose

/ fɔːˈkləʊz; fɔːˈkləʊʒə /

verb

1. law to deprive (a mortgagor, etc) of the right to redeem (a mortgage or pledge)
2. tr to shut out; bar
3. tr to prevent or hinder
4. tr to answer or settle (an obligation, promise, etc) in advance
5. tr to make an exclusive claim to

Derived Forms

• foreclosure, noun
• foreˈclosable, adjective

Other Words From

• fore·closa·ble adjective
• nonfore·closing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of foreclose¹

First recorded 1250–1300; Middle English foreclosen from Old French forclos, past participle of forclore “to exclude,” equivalent to for- “out” + clore “to shut” (from Latin claudere )

Word History and Origins

Origin of foreclose¹

C15: from Old French forclore , from for- out + clore to close, from Latin claudere

Example Sentences

The Idaho Supreme Court’s earlier decision didn’t exactly foreclose that argument, but it came close.

From Slate

He went on to quote Justice Robert H. Jackson: “The very purpose of the First Amendment is to foreclose public authority from assuming a guardianship of the public mind through regulating the press, speech, and religion. In this field every person must be his own watchman for truth, because the forefathers did not trust any government to separate the true from the false for us.”

From Slate

In late 2022, AES threatened to foreclose on Pustilnikov.

From Los Angeles Times

“According to their drafters, these rules rest on the assumption that certification of election results by a county board is discretionary and subject to free-ranging inquiry that may delay certification or foreclose it entirely. But that is not the law in Georgia,” the suit reads.

From Salon

Arjuna withdrew the proposal and moved for a dismissal of the lawsuit, which the judge denied “because the proposal’s withdrawal didn’t foreclose the same conduct moving forward.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• expropriate