liquidate

verb

liq·​ui·​date ˈli-kwə-ˌdāt 

liquidated; liquidating

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 

noun

Synonyms

• abolish
• annihilate
• black out
• blot out
• cancel
• clean (up)
• efface
• eradicate
• erase
• expunge
• exterminate
• extirpate
• obliterate
• root (out)
• rub out
• snuff (out)
• stamp (out)
• sweep (away)
• wipe out

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

True to its name, the remaining stores are being liquidated in partnership with Hilco Merchant Resources. —Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

However, the Sandy Hook families have not seen any of this money because Jones filed for bankruptcy and moved to liquidate his assets. —Justin Klawans, The Week Us, theweek, 20 Nov. 2024

Accusations started flying, with many crypto observers alleging that $HAWK was a pump-and-dump scheme, or a rug pull — when developers build hype for a crypto project to raise money only to liquidate their position and walk away, with others left holding worthless tokens. —Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 5 Dec. 2024

Jones’s assets are now being liquidated, including Infowars, his right-wing conspiracy website. —Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 27 Nov. 2024

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)

Kids Definition

liquidate

verb

liq·​ui·​date ˈlik-wə-ˌdāt 

liquidated; liquidating

1

: pay off sense 1

liquidate a debt

2

: to put an end to : do away with

liquidation

ˌlik-wə-ˈdā-shən 

noun

Legal Definition

liquidate

verb

liq·​ui·​date ˈli-kwə-ˌdāt 

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 

noun