noun ·3 syllables ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   The proceeding, by a creditor, to regain property or other collateral following a default on mortgage payments. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   the legal proceedings initiated by a creditor to repossess the collateral for loan that is in default wordnet
3. 3
   The absence of a symbolic father for a fatherless child, as a cause for psychosis. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

arrestationdebarmentdetermentdeterrencediscouragementdisendowment

Example

More examples

"When Tom lost his job, he couldn't keep up his mortgage repayments and he was threatened with foreclosure."

Etymology

From foreclose by analogy with closure, equivalent to fore- + closure.

Related phrases

market foreclosurewidow foreclosure

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.