liquidate

verb

liq·​ui·​date ˈli-kwə-ˌdāt How to pronounce liquidate (audio)
liquidated; liquidating
Synonyms of liquidatenext

transitive verb

1
a(1)
: to determine by agreement or by litigation the precise amount of (indebtedness, damages, or accounts)
(2)
: to determine the liabilities (see liability sense 2) and apportion assets toward discharging the indebtedness of
b
: to settle (a debt) by payment or other settlement
liquidate a loan
2
archaic : to make clear
3
: to do away with especially by killing
was hired to liquidate a certain businessman
4
: to convert (assets) into cash
liquidated his securities

intransitive verb

1
: to liquidate debts, damages, or accounts
2
: to determine liabilities (see liability sense 2) and apportion assets toward discharging indebtedness
liquidation
ˌli-kwə-ˈdā-shən How to pronounce liquidate (audio)
noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of liquidate in a Sentence

The owners were ordered to liquidate the company and pay their creditors. The company is liquidating its assets. The owners were ordered to liquidate. The film is about a professional killer who's hired to liquidate a powerful businessman.
Recent Examples on the Web Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Tuesday offered her strongest public support yet for the idea of liquidating roughly $300 billion in frozen Russian Central Bank assets and using them for Ukraine’s long-term reconstruction. —Fatima Hussein, Fortune Europe, 27 Feb. 2024 Dozens of major developers have defaulted on their debt, with Evergrande, once the country’s second largest homebuilder, ordered to liquidate last month. —Juliana Liu, CNN, 21 Feb. 2024 But even if Trump were allowed to liquidate immediately, the share price would quickly decrease as a result. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024 Lawyers specializing in bankruptcies, foreclosures and corporate insolvency warn that getting control over, and trying to liquidate, any of the former president’s flagship properties is an uphill battle. —Rukmini Callimachi, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024 When news leaked Alameda’s balance sheet was built from sand, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao rushed to liquidate his holdings in FTX’s unbacked cryptocurrency. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024 In January 2024, a Hong Kong court ordered Evergrande to liquidate. —Laura He, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 However, Chapter 7 is to liquidate the business while Chapter 11 is to reorganize the business. —Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 19 Mar. 2024 Certainly, the most controversial of the changes undertaken by the new government was the firm decision by Bartłomiej Sienkiewicz, the new minister of culture and national heritage, to legally liquidate the state media and reestablish it under new management. —Foreign Affairs, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'liquidate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin liquidatus, past participle of liquidare to melt, from Latin liquidus

First Known Use

circa 1575, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of liquidate was circa 1575

Dictionary Entries Near liquidate

liquid ammonia

liquidate

liquidating dividend

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Liquidate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/liquidate. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.

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Kids Definition

liquidate

verb
liq·​ui·​date ˈlik-wə-ˌdāt How to pronounce liquidate (audio)
liquidated; liquidating
1
: pay off sense 1
liquidate a debt
2
: to put an end to : do away with
liquidation
ˌlik-wə-ˈdā-shən How to pronounce liquidate (audio)
noun

Legal Definition

liquidate

verb
liq·​ui·​date ˈli-kwə-ˌdāt How to pronounce liquidate (audio)
liquidated; liquidating

transitive verb

1
: to determine by agreement or litigation the precise amount of
also : to settle (a debt) by payment or other adjustment
2
a
: to determine the liabilities and apportion the assets of especially in bankruptcy or dissolution
liquidate a corporation
compare bankruptcy
b
: to convert (as assets) into cash
liquidate an estate

intransitive verb

: to liquidate something (as a corporation)
liquidation
ˌli-kwə-ˈdā-shən How to pronounce liquidate (audio)
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on liquidate

Nglish: Translation of liquidate for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of liquidate for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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