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
Metrics included unemployment, poverty, foreclosure rates, uninsured populations, and retirement readiness.
—
Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Properties become part of the land bank most often through tax foreclosure, which is when the local government takes control of a property that hasn’t paid its taxes and tries to sell it to make that tax money back.
—Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2025
Bankruptcies, drunk driving charges, delinquent child support, foreclosures, nickel-and-dime car wrecks, suspicious slip-and-falls, dubious claims of disabilities — the stock-in- trade of a run-of-the-mill street lawyer whose law school dreams of riches had faded so dim they were almost gone.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
As The Real Deal reported, Chapman is facing a foreclosure lawsuit on her West Village two-bedroom at 99 Jane Street.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreclosure
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
Properties become part of the land bank most often through tax foreclosure, which is when the local government takes control of a property that hasn’t paid its taxes and tries to sell it to make that tax money back.
—Kansas City Star, 18 Oct. 2025
Bankruptcies, drunk driving charges, delinquent child support, foreclosures, nickel-and-dime car wrecks, suspicious slip-and-falls, dubious claims of disabilities — the stock-in- trade of a run-of-the-mill street lawyer whose law school dreams of riches had faded so dim they were almost gone.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
As The Real Deal reported, Chapman is facing a foreclosure lawsuit on her West Village two-bedroom at 99 Jane Street.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreclosure
Cite this Entry
“Foreclosure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreclosure. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share