liquidate

Everyday

1. (formal, business) To liquidate a company is to close it and sell everything it owns to pay its debts. tree →
2. (formal) To turn things you own into money by selling them. tree →
3. (formal, euphemism) To kill or get rid of enemies, in stories and history. tree →

In the lessons

Used in business news and formal writing. It tells the reader something was closed down and sold, or, in crime stories, someone was got rid of. Phrases: «liquidate a company», «liquidate assets».

Examples

• The failing company was liquidated. tree →
• They liquidated their savings to buy a house. tree →
• The shop had to liquidate its stock in a closing-down sale. tree →
• In the spy story, the villain ordered the agent to be liquidated. tree →
• Banks may liquidate a business that cannot pay its debts. tree →
• The toy factory was liquidated after losing money. tree →

Note

Formal. Noun: liquidation («go into liquidation»). Not the same as «liquefy» (turn into liquid), though both come from «liquid».