Liquidate: meaning, definitions and examples

Used primarily in financial and business contexts to indicate selling off assets to pay off debts. Often in reference to companies in severe financial distress.

• The company had to liquidate its assets to repay creditors.
• After years of losses, the business decided to liquidate.

Used in formal or legal contexts, especially when referring to ending a partnership, organization, or group. This word implies a complete and official termination.

• The board decided to dissolve the organization due to a lack of funding.
• They agreed to dissolve the partnership peacefully.

Commonly used in everyday language to indicate that a business or establishment is discontinuing operations. Suitable for both formal and informal contexts.

• The local bakery decided to close down due to high rent costs.
• They had to close down the shop after 50 years of service.

Primarily used informally to describe stopping operations or closing a business. Often implies a more sudden or urgent cessation compared to 'close down'.

• The factory had to shut down immediately due to safety violations.
• They will shut down the office next month.

This term is often used in a business or financial context to mean closing down a business and distributing its assets. It may also imply to get rid of something or someone, usually in a formal or legal manner.

• They decided to liquidate the company and distribute its assets among the shareholders.
• The spy was ordered to liquidate all evidence of his activities.

This word is extremely strong and is usually used in the context of completely destroying or killing, especially in reference to pests or groups of people. It carries a very negative connotation.

• Pest control will come to exterminate the rats from the building.
• The dictator vowed to exterminate all opposition.

This word is usually used to describe sending someone or something to a specific place or on a specific mission. It can also mean to deal with a task or problem efficiently. In some contexts, it can mean to kill.

• The courier was dispatched at noon and should arrive by evening.
• She was dispatched to handle customer complaints.

This term is used to describe the action of completely removing or getting rid of something. It can apply to both physical and abstract contexts. When referring to people, it often has a negative connotation.

• We need to eliminate all bugs from the system before the launch.
• The competition was fierce, but he managed to eliminate all his rivals.