Foreclose /(?)/

Fore·close

Foreclose

v. t.

imp. & p. p. Foreclosed; p. pr. & vb. n. Foreclosing

  1. To shut up or out; to preclude; to stop; to prevent; to bar; to exclude.
    The embargo with Spain foreclosed this trade.

Phrases & Compounds
To foreclose a mortgager
to cut him off by a judgment of court from the power of redeeming the mortgaged premises, termed his equity of redemption.
To foreclose a mortgage
(not technically correct, but often used to signify) the obtaining a judgment for the payment of an overdue mortgage, and the exposure of the mortgaged property to sale to meet the mortgage debt.