foreclosure

noun

fore·​clo·​sure (ˌ)fȯr-ˈklō-zhər 

: an act or instance of foreclosing

specifically : a legal proceeding that bars or extinguishes a mortgagor's right of redeeming a mortgaged estate

Examples of foreclosure in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Under Idaho law, government entities in Idaho are required to place public notices — of foreclosure, name changes and bankruptcies, among other things — in the local newspaper with the highest circulation. —Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 29 Jan. 2025

State of play: The Line, which opened in 2017, will hit a foreclosure auction taking place Thursday morning in New York. —Cuneyt Dil, Axios, 23 Jan. 2025

More than a few have faced foreclosure, leaving owners anxious about the need to get tenants back in their buildings or find another use for the millions of unused square feet. —Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Reverse mortgages led to a surge in foreclosure filings, including on a 92-year-old Jacksonville woman who owed 27 cents. —Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 16 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1713, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

foreclosure

noun

fore·​clos·​ure fōr-ˈklō-zhər 

1

: a legal proceeding that bars or extinguishes a mortgagor's equity of redemption in mortgaged real property see also deficiency judgment at judgment, redeem, right of redemption, statutory foreclosure, strict foreclosure sense 1

2

: the extinguishment (as under the provisions of Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code) of the rights of a debtor in personal property subject to a security interest by judicial proceedings and especially by judicial sale see also strict foreclosure sense 2