bank·rupt
ˈbaŋk-(ˌ)rəpt 
1
a
: a debtor (such as an individual or an organization) whose property is subject to voluntary or involuntary administration under the bankruptcy laws for the benefit of the debtor's creditors
b
: a person who becomes insolvent
2
: a person who is completely lacking in a particular desirable quality or attribute
a moral bankrupt
1
a
: reduced to a state of financial ruin : impoverished
specifically
: legally declared bankrupt
the company went bankrupt
b
: of or relating to bankrupts or bankruptcy
bankrupt laws
bankrupted; bankrupting; bankrupts
1
: to reduce to bankruptcy
2
: impoverish
defections had bankrupted the party of its brainpower
Synonyms
Examples of bankrupt in a Sentence
Noun
As a lawyer, she specialized in working with bankrupts.
Adjective
The lawsuit could leave them bankrupt.
the company's product development team was bankrupt of ideas
Verb
Several risky deals bankrupted the company.
several bad investments bankrupted him
Recent Examples on the Web
Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2025
The fight almost bankrupts the town of Shelby, Montana, which borrowed heavily to stage it.
1930 — Helen Wills Moody wins her fourth straight singles title at Wimbledon with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Elizabeth Ryan.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2023
Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2025
In 2021, City Auditor Andy Hanau issued a scathing report raising questions about San Diego’s handling of the 101 Ash St. office tower, the bankrupt indoor skydiving center, an aging South Bay motel, a Kearny Mesa maintenance yard and other properties.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025
George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
But international sanctions aimed at bankrupting Russia’s war machine have failed to deliver as intended, and Biden urged the incoming Trump team to stand with Kyiv.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bankrupt 
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Noun
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan bankrupts media and corporate opponents with endless lawsuits.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2025
The fight almost bankrupts the town of Shelby, Montana, which borrowed heavily to stage it.
1930 — Helen Wills Moody wins her fourth straight singles title at Wimbledon with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Elizabeth Ryan.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2023
Adjective
The latest war has been catastrophic for the Palestinian people, and that is the culmination of years of bankrupt international policy.
—Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2025
In 2021, City Auditor Andy Hanau issued a scathing report raising questions about San Diego’s handling of the 101 Ash St. office tower, the bankrupt indoor skydiving center, an aging South Bay motel, a Kearny Mesa maintenance yard and other properties.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Feb. 2025
Verb
The month after, a New York judge ordered Trump to pay a $355 million penalty after finding that the former president lied about his wealth for years, a ruling expected to bankrupt the former real estate mogul.
—George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
But international sanctions aimed at bankrupting Russia’s war machine have failed to deliver as intended, and Biden urged the incoming Trump team to stand with Kyiv.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bankrupt
Dictionary Entries Near bankrupt
Cite this Entry
“Bankrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bankrupt. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bankrupt
1 of 3 noun
bank·rupt
ˈbaŋ-(ˌ)krəpt
: an individual or group who becomes bankrupt
especially
: one whose property by court order is turned over to be managed for the benefit of the creditors
bankrupt
2 of 3 adjective1
: unable to pay one's debts
2
: legally declared bankrupt
the company went bankrupt
bankrupt
3 of 3 verb
: to make bankrupt
Legal Definition
bankrupt
1 of 3 noun
bank·rupt
ˈbaŋ-ˌkrəpt
: a debtor (as an individual or organization) whose property is subject to administration under the bankruptcy laws for the benefit of the debtor's creditors
was adjudicated a bankrupt
see also debtor
bankrupt
2 of 3 adjective
: ruined financially
bankrupt
3 of 3 transitive verb
: to reduce to bankruptcy
was bankrupted by attorney's fees
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