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
Recently, the writer suggested, the group had turned its attention to a major target: the estate of Lisa Marie Presley, which last week faced a threat that Graceland was about to be foreclosed on and sold by a mysterious company, Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC.
—
Matt Stevens, New York Times, 28 May 2024
Baltimore County’s Department of Housing will be forced to locate all new affordable housing units in school districts that are under capacity, which may be foreclosed to development as being outside of the Urban Rural Demarcation Line.
—Tom Coale, Baltimore Sun, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for foreclose 
Matt Stevens, New York Times, 28 May 2024
Baltimore County’s Department of Housing will be forced to locate all new affordable housing units in school districts that are under capacity, which may be foreclosed to development as being outside of the Urban Rural Demarcation Line.
—Tom Coale, Baltimore Sun, 14 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 5 Jun. 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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