bankrupt
/ˈbæŋ.kɹəpt/ · bank·rupt
noun
- A person who is unable to pay his or her debts; an insolvent individual. After the market crash, many investors found themselves declared bankrupt.
- A trader who conceals assets or engages in fraudulent acts to defraud creditors. The court identified the merchant as a bankrupt, guilty of fraudulent concealment of assets.
verb
- To cause someone or something to become insolvent; to force into bankruptcy. The new regulations could bankrupt small businesses if not adjusted.
adjective
- In a condition of bankruptcy; unable to pay one's debts. The bankrupt company filed for reorganization.
- Having been legally declared insolvent. She is a bankrupt individual under the law.
- Destitute of, or wholly lacking, something once possessed or that one should possess. His morally bankrupt arguments failed to persuade the jury.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Did you know? The word ‘bankrupt’ originally referred to a broken bench (banca) in medieval marketplaces, symbolizing a merchant who could no longer conduct business.