Standard Lemma guide

foreclosure

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: F AO0 R K L OW1 ZH ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The proceeding, by a creditor, to regain property or other collateral following a default on mortgage payments.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The absence of a symbolic father for a fatherless child, as a cause for psychosis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, medicine, psychoanalysis, psychology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the legal proceedings initiated by a creditor to repossess the collateral for loan that is in default

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: proceeding, legal proceeding, proceedings

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: възбрана (vǎzbrana) — proceeding by a creditor
  • Chinese Mandarin: 終止回贖權 /终止回赎权 (zhōngzhǐ huíshúquán) — proceeding by a creditor
  • Danish: eksekution — proceeding by a creditor
  • Danish: tvangsfuldbyrdelse — proceeding by a creditor
  • Dutch: executoriale verkoop — proceeding by a creditor
  • Dutch: executie — proceeding by a creditor
  • Esperanto: sekvestrado — proceeding by a creditor
  • Faroese: fíggjartøka — proceeding by a creditor
  • Finnish: ulosmittaus — proceeding by a creditor
  • Finnish: ulosotto — proceeding by a creditor
  • French: saisie d'hypothèque — proceeding by a creditor
  • French: saisie immobilière — proceeding by a creditor
  • French: saisie — proceeding by a creditor
  • Galician: embargo — proceeding by a creditor
  • Galician: embargamento — proceeding by a creditor
  • German: Zwangsvollstreckung — proceeding by a creditor
  • German: Pfändung — proceeding by a creditor
  • Greek: κατάσχεση (katáschesi) — proceeding by a creditor
  • Hungarian: zálogjog/jelzálog érvényesítése (ingatlanon) — proceeding by a creditor
  • Hungarian: lefoglalás — proceeding by a creditor
  • Hungarian: zár alá vétel — proceeding by a creditor
  • Hungarian: végrehajtás — proceeding by a creditor
  • Icelandic: aðför — proceeding by a creditor
  • Icelandic: aðfarargerð — proceeding by a creditor
  • Italian: pignoramento — proceeding by a creditor
  • Kazakh: сатып алу айыру құқығының кепілі (satyp alu aiyru qūqyğynyñ kepılı) — proceeding by a creditor
  • Māori: taumanutanga — proceeding by a creditor
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tvangsfullbyrdelse — proceeding by a creditor
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: tvangsfullføring — proceeding by a creditor
  • Polish: zajęcie — proceeding by a creditor
  • Polish: przejęcie — proceeding by a creditor
  • Portuguese: execução — proceeding by a creditor
  • Russian: лишение права выкупа залоговой (lišenije prava vykupa zalogovoj) — proceeding by a creditor
  • Spanish: embargo — proceeding by a creditor
  • Spanish: ejecución de hipoteca — proceeding by a creditor
  • Spanish: acción hipotecaria — proceeding by a creditor
  • Swedish: utmätning — proceeding by a creditor
  • Swedish: exekution — proceeding by a creditor
  • Tagalog: pagsamsam ng nakasangla — proceeding by a creditor