First Known Use: 1533
Dictionary
1bankrupt
noun bank·rupt \ˈbaŋk-(ˌ)rəpt\
: a person, business, etc., that is unable to pay debts
Full Definition of BANKRUPT
1
a : a person who has done any of the acts that by law entitle creditors to have his or her estate administered for their benefit b : a person judicially declared subject to having his or her estate administered under the bankrupt laws for the benefit of creditors c : a person who becomes insolvent
2
: a person who is completely lacking in a particular desirable quality or attribute <a moral bankrupt>
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Origin of BANKRUPT
Other Economics Terms
2bankrupt
adjective
: unable to pay debts
—used to say that someone or something completely lacks a good or desired quality
Full Definition of BANKRUPT
1
a : reduced to a state of financial ruin : impoverished; specifically : legally declared a bankrupt <the company went bankrupt> b : of or relating to bankrupts or bankruptcy <bankrupt laws>
2
See bankrupt defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of BANKRUPT
1566
Related to BANKRUPT
Other Economics Terms
3bankrupt
verb
: to cause (a person, business, etc.) to be unable to pay debts : to make (someone or something) bankrupt
Full Definition of BANKRUPT
transitive verb
1
: to reduce to bankruptcy
2
: impoverish <defections had bankrupted the party of its brainpower>
See bankrupt defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of BANKRUPT
1588
Synonym Discussion of BANKRUPT
deplete, drain, exhaust, impoverish, bankrupt mean to deprive of something essential to existence or potency. deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function <depleting our natural resources>. drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence <personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit>. exhaust stresses a complete emptying <her lecture exhausted the subject>. impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness <impoverished soil>. bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse <war had bankrupted the nation of resources>.
Other Economics Terms
BANKRUPT[2] Defined for Kids
1bankrupt
adjective bank·rupt \ˈbaŋk-ˌrəpt\
Definition of BANKRUPT for Kids
: not having enough money to pay debts
2bankrupt
verb
bank·rupt·edbank·rupt·ing
Definition of BANKRUPT for Kids
: to cause to not have enough money to pay debts <That last risky deal bankrupted the company.>
3bankrupt
noun
Definition of BANKRUPT for Kids
: a person or business that does not have enough money to pay debts
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