bankrupt 1 of 3

bankrupt

2 of 3

verb

as in to ruin
to cause to lose one's fortune and become unable to pay one's debts several bad investments bankrupted him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bankrupt

3 of 3

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bankrupt distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of bankrupt are deplete, drain, exhaust, and impoverish. While all these words mean "to deprive of something essential to existence or potency," bankrupt suggests impoverishment to the point of imminent collapse.

war had bankrupted the nation of resources

When could deplete be used to replace bankrupt?

While in some cases nearly identical to bankrupt, deplete implies a reduction in number or quantity so as to endanger the ability to function.

depleting our natural resources

In what contexts can drain take the place of bankrupt?

The synonyms drain and bankrupt are sometimes interchangeable, but drain implies a gradual withdrawal and ultimate deprivation of what is necessary to an existence.

personal tragedy had drained him of all spirit

When is exhaust a more appropriate choice than bankrupt?

While the synonyms exhaust and bankrupt are close in meaning, exhaust stresses a complete emptying.

her lecture exhausted the subject

When would impoverish be a good substitute for bankrupt?

The meanings of impoverish and bankrupt largely overlap; however, impoverish suggests a deprivation of something essential to richness or productiveness.

impoverished soil

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bankrupt
Adjective
Planet Fitness — Shares popped 6% after CNBC, citing court filings, reported the fitness chain wants to acquire bankrupt budget-fitness chain Blink Holdings. Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2024 Any delay could potentially push the bankrupt chain completely out of business. Richard Collings, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
But opponents say allowing unlimited opt-outs would effectively bankrupt the long-term care system. Melissa Santos, Axios, 21 Oct. 2024 In other words, lawsuits that shut down investment and attempt to bankrupt Western energy majors won’t reduce fossil fuel production. Dan Ikenson, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
China’s Hong Kong puppet regime, albeit bankrupt of any legitimacy, is still unwilling to cede power to the people. Joshua Wong, Quartz, 3 Sep. 2019 From Henry Ford to Donald Trump, America has lionized business leaders (and shameless bankrupts) who disdain history. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 June 2019 See all Example Sentences for bankrupt 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bankrupt
Adjective
  • Delle, devoid for so long from its intrinsic need for social interaction might be filling in the gaps by talking to himself.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 14 Feb. 2023
  • The medication has hallucinogenic effects that alter the perception of sight and sound and cause users to feel devoid from pain and out of control of their surroundings.
    Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 28 Oct. 2023
Verb
  • Although the name suggests otherwise, the custard should never be allowed to actually boil, which would risk scrambling the eggs and ruining the custard.
    Elizabeth Hutchison Hicklin, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2024
  • Ventilation along the roofline ensures airflow to prevent the dampness that can ruin belongings.
    Miles Walls, People.com, 21 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • However, rumors that the derelict mansion in the video was Jordan’s have since been debunked.
    Megan Johnson, Architectural Digest, 19 Sep. 2024
  • Maine’s housing stock skews old, with high rates of derelict and seasonally vacant properties.
    Donovan Lynch, NBC News, 4 Aug. 2024
Noun
  • The group found that Trump’s agenda would make the government program insolvent in six years, shrinking the current timeline by a third, and expanding Social Security’s cash shortfall by trillions of dollars. 5.
    Kristian Burt, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2024
  • Trump's change would make Social Security’s retirement trust fund insolvent more thanone year earlier – in early 2032 instead of late 2033 -- and the initial 21% cut across the board would deepen to a 25% cut, CRFB said.
    Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2024
Adjective
  • But the internet didn't buy it, and conspiracy theories began to fill the information void.
    Avery Lotz, Axios, 19 Dec. 2024
  • The impeachment of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for his aborted martial law decree risks creating a leadership void and deeper political division in a key U.S. treaty partner.
    Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The second oldest juvenile delinquent: Lana Habash.
    Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2024
  • After all, the recruitment of delinquents shows the desperate lengths Moscow must now go to with the Ukraine war draining its resources, Western intelligence officials point out.
    Anna Mulrine Grobe, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Then, in 1888, its acres were set aside for disabled and destitute veterans.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024
  • When destitute emigrants from Scandinavian countries moved to the United States in the late nineteenth century, the blue-eyed visitors were largely welcomed.
    Carla Norrlof, Foreign Affairs, 12 Feb. 2019
Noun
  • On The Challenge: Battle of the Eras, these now-geriatric degenerates will duke it out for the only prize worth fighting for: making their kids proud.
    Emma Sharpe, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2024
  • There’s the medieval brutality: Gómez was a homicidal degenerate who collected torture methods instead of stamps.
    Tim Padgett, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near bankrupt

Cite this Entry

“Bankrupt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bankrupt. Accessed 27 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on bankrupt

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