fore·close (fôr-klōz', fōr-)

v., -closed, -clos·ing, -clos·es.

v.tr.

1. 1. To deprive (a mortgagor) of the right to redeem mortgaged property, as when payments have not been made.
   2. To bar an equity or a right to redeem (a mortgage).
2. To exclude or rule out; bar.
3. To settle or resolve beforehand.

v.intr.
To bar an equity or a right to redeem a mortgage.

[Middle English forclosen, to exclude from an inheritance, from Old French forclos, shut out, past participle of forclore, to exclude : fors-, outside (from Latin forīs) + clore, to close (from Latin claudere).]

foreclosable fore·clos'a·ble adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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