bankrupt
bankrupt — adjective
1. not able to meet your debts, especially in a case handled under bankruptcy law
not able to meet your debts, especially in a case handled under bankruptcy law
After three bad years, the family shop went bankrupt in March.
go bankrupt
By Friday, the airline was bankrupt and canceled all refunds.
The court declared the builder bankrupt after months of unpaid bills.
A bankrupt company left 200 workers without jobs before winter.
Without new loans, the theater could soon be bankrupt.
- solvent
means able to pay debts
- profitable
applies mainly to businesses that are making money rather than losing it
文法句型
go bankrupt
be declared bankrupt
a bankrupt company
用法筆記
Often appears after go, be, or declare, and is especially common for people, companies, and shops. Distinguish from sense 2, which is informal and simply means having no money at the moment, without the legal idea.
常見錯誤
2. having no money left to spend
having no money left to spend
By the end of the trip, we were bankrupt and eating plain rice.
informal: be bankrupt
After paying the hospital bill, Marta felt almost bankrupt.
One more parking fine and Leo will be bankrupt this month.
The students joked that exam week kept everyone bankrupt.
A broken phone can leave a part-time worker bankrupt for weeks.
文法句型
feel bankrupt
be almost bankrupt
leave someone bankrupt
用法筆記
Informal and often exaggerated in everyday speech for temporary lack of money. Distinguish from sense 1, which is the legal or business sense involving debts and formal bankruptcy.
常見錯誤
3. lacking anything admirable, useful, or worthwhile
lacking anything admirable, useful, or worthwhile
The judge called the scam a morally bankrupt business plan.
collocation: morally bankrupt
Many voters saw the speech as morally bankrupt and full of lies.
A cruel joke can make clever writing seem emotionally bankrupt.
The campaign ad felt intellectually bankrupt, repeating fear instead of facts.
The film looks rich, but its message is spiritually bankrupt.
- principled
describes people or actions guided by strong moral standards
- worthwhile
describes something that has clear value or good purpose
文法句型
morally bankrupt
spiritually bankrupt
a bankrupt argument
用法筆記
Common with adverbs like morally, emotionally, intellectually, or spiritually, and often used for ideas, systems, or behaviour rather than money. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about debts and legal insolvency.
常見錯誤
bankrupt — noun
1. a person or business that has officially been declared unable to pay its debts
a person or business that has officially been declared unable to pay its debts
The court gave the bankrupt six months to sell the house.
the bankrupt = noun
Local papers named the builder a bankrupt after the ruling.
a bankrupt
Each bankrupt met a lawyer before the debt hearing began.
Creditors may question the bankrupt about hidden bank accounts.
Under the old law, a bankrupt could not run the company.
- debtor
is broader and can describe anyone who owes money, whether bankrupt or not
- insolvent person
is a more formal label used mainly in legal or financial contexts
文法句型
the bankrupt
declare someone a bankrupt
question the bankrupt
用法筆記
Commonest in legal writing, where 'the bankrupt' often refers to the person or company in the case. In everyday speech, people more often say 'a bankrupt person' or say that someone 'went bankrupt'.
常見錯誤
bankrupt — verb
1. to push a person or business into a state where debts can no longer be paid
to push a person or business into a state where debts can no longer be paid
The flood nearly bankrupted three farms along the river.
bankrupt + object
Medical bills bankrupted the family within a single year.
A bad lawsuit could bankrupt the small repair shop.
High fuel costs almost bankrupted the bus company last winter.
One failed hotel project bankrupted the couple who backed it.
- ruin
is broader and may refer to many kinds of damage, not only debt
- impoverish
often suggests making someone poorer over time, without a formal bankruptcy result
- cripple
can mean badly damaging finances without necessarily causing total collapse
文法句型
bankrupt a company
costs bankrupted the family
nearly bankrupt someone
用法筆記
Usually takes a person, family, shop, or company as its object, and the cause is often a debt, disaster, lawsuit, or rise in costs. In everyday English, speakers often prefer the pattern 'go bankrupt' when no cause is named.