Bankrupting: meaning, definitions and examples

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bankrupting

 

[ ˈbæŋkrʌptɪŋ ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

financial

To make someone bankrupt by reducing their financial resources to zero or below.

Synonyms

bankruptcy, impoverish, ruin.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

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Word Description / Examples
bankrupting

This term is used when someone or something is causing another entity to go bankrupt. It's often used in discussions about actions leading to financial ruin.

  • The company's aggressive expansion strategy is bankrupting smaller competitors
  • His reckless investments are bankrupting his family's savings
ruin

Ruin means to completely destroy or severely damage something. Although it can refer to finances, it’s a more general term that can apply to various aspects of life.

  • The scandal ruined his career
  • The storm ruined the crops, causing widespread agricultural losses
impoverish

Impoverish means to make someone very poor. It's used in contexts involving a significant and often gradual decline into poverty, often due to systemic issues.

  • The prolonged droughts have impoverished many farming communities
  • Corruption and poor governance continue to impoverish the nation
bankruptcy

This is used to describe the legal state or condition in which an individual or business can no longer repay their debts. It’s a formal process under law.

  • The restaurant declared bankruptcy after years of decreasing revenue
  • The bankruptcy filing was a last resort to restructure the company’s debts

Examples of usage

  • The economic crisis is bankrupting many small businesses.
  • His gambling addiction is bankrupting his family.
Context #2 | Verb

figurative

To cause something to fail or collapse due to lack of resources or support.

Synonyms

collapse, fail, ruin.

Which Synonym Should You Choose?

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Word Description / Examples
bankrupting

Use it when referring to the action of causing someone or something to lose all their money and go out of business.

  • The risky investments ended up bankrupting the company.
  • The new policies are bankrupting small businesses.
collapse

Use it to describe a situation where something fails suddenly and completely, often in a dramatic way. It's not limited to financial contexts.

  • After the scandal, the company's reputation experienced a complete collapse.
  • The bridge’s collapse caused a major traffic disruption.
fail

Use this term when someone or something does not succeed in achieving a goal or cannot continue operating.

  • The startup failed due to a lack of funding.
  • He was disappointed when he failed to pass the exam.
ruin

Use it to indicate severe damage to someone’s finances or reputation, often impacting their life significantly. This term often carries a negative connotation.

  • The scandal ruined his political career.
  • She feared the lawsuit would ruin her financially.

Examples of usage

  • The constant criticism is bankrupting his confidence.
  • The lack of investment is bankrupting the infrastructure.

Translations

Translations of the word "bankrupting" in other languages:

🇵🇹 falência

🇮🇳 दिवालियापन

🇩🇪 Bankrott

🇮🇩 kebangkrutan

🇺🇦 банкрутство

🇵🇱 upadłość

🇯🇵 破産

🇫🇷 faillite

🇪🇸 quiebra

🇹🇷 iflas

🇰🇷 파산

🇸🇦 إفلاس

🇨🇿 úpadek

🇸🇰 úpadok

🇨🇳 破产

🇸🇮 stečaj

🇮🇸 gjaldþrot

🇰🇿 банкроттық

🇬🇪 გაკოტრება

🇦🇿 müflislik

🇲🇽 quiebra

Etymology

The word 'bankrupting' is derived from the term 'bankrupt', which originated from the Italian word 'banca rotta' meaning 'broken bench'. This refers to the ancient practice of breaking the bench of a bankrupt trader to symbolize his insolvency. The concept of bankruptcy has existed for centuries as a legal status of inability to repay debts. The verb 'bankrupting' emerged as a derivative to describe the action of causing bankruptcy or financial ruin.

See also: bankruptcy.

Word Frequency Rank

Ranking #37,862, this word is encountered relatively rarely in everyday English. It might appear in literary works or specialized texts but isn't essential for general communication.