bankrupt
/ˈbæŋkrʌpt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbæŋkrʌpt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈbaŋk-(ˌ)rəpt/ (ame, mw) · /ˈbæŋ.krʌpt/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbæŋ.krʌpt/ (ame, ipa)
bankrupt — 形容詞
1. not able to meet your debts, especially in a case handled under bankruptcy law
破產的
因欠債無力償還而破產
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.
經過三年慘淡經營後，那家家庭商店在三月破產了。
go bankrupt
By Friday, the airline was bankrupt and canceled all refunds.
到了星期五，那家航空公司已經破產，所有退款都取消了。
The court declared the builder bankrupt after months of unpaid bills.
那名建商積欠帳單數月後，法院宣告他破產。
A bankrupt company left 200 workers without jobs before winter.
一家破產的公司在冬天前讓兩百名員工失去工作。
Without new loans, the theater could soon be bankrupt.
沒有新貸款的話，那間劇院很快就會破產。
- 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
身無分文
手上沒錢可花
having no money left to spend
By the end of the trip, we were bankrupt and eating plain rice.
旅程快結束時，我們已經身無分文，只能吃白飯。
informal: be bankrupt
After paying the hospital bill, Marta felt almost bankrupt.
付完醫院帳單後，Marta 覺得自己幾乎身無分文。
One more parking fine and Leo will be bankrupt this month.
再來一張停車罰單，Leo 這個月就要身無分文了。
The students joked that exam week kept everyone bankrupt.
學生們開玩笑說，考試週讓大家都變得身無分文。
A broken phone can leave a part-time worker bankrupt for weeks.
一支壞掉的手機就可能讓打工的人好幾週身無分文。
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
空洞的
品格、想法等毫無可取處
lacking anything admirable, useful, or worthwhile
The judge called the scam a morally bankrupt business plan.
法官說，這個騙局的商業計畫在道德上已經破產。
collocation: morally bankrupt
Many voters saw the speech as morally bankrupt and full of lies.
許多選民認為那篇演說在道德上很腐敗，而且滿口謊言。
A cruel joke can make clever writing seem emotionally bankrupt.
一個殘忍的玩笑，會讓再巧妙的文字也顯得情感空洞。
The campaign ad felt intellectually bankrupt, repeating fear instead of facts.
那支競選廣告顯得思想空洞，只會反覆訴諸恐懼而不是事實。
The film looks rich, but its message is spiritually bankrupt.
這部片看起來很華麗，但它的訊息很空洞。
- 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 — 名詞
1. a person or business that has officially been declared unable to pay its debts
破產者
被正式宣告破產的人或公司
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.
法院給這名破產者六個月時間賣掉房子。
the bankrupt = noun
Local papers named the builder a bankrupt after the ruling.
地方報紙在裁定後稱那名建商為破產者。
a bankrupt
Each bankrupt met a lawyer before the debt hearing began.
每位破產者都在債務聽證開始前先見了律師。
Creditors may question the bankrupt about hidden bank accounts.
債權人可以就隱藏的銀行帳戶詢問該破產者。
Under the old law, a bankrupt could not run the company.
在舊法下，破產者不得經營那家公司。
- 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 — 動詞
1. to push a person or business into a state where debts can no longer be paid
使破產
讓人或公司無力償債而破產
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.
那場洪水差點使河邊三座農場破產。
bankrupt + object
Medical bills bankrupted the family within a single year.
醫療帳單在短短一年內就把那家人逼到破產。
A bad lawsuit could bankrupt the small repair shop.
一場官司就可能使那間小修理店破產。
High fuel costs almost bankrupted the bus company last winter.
高油價在去年冬天幾乎把那家巴士公司拖到破產。
One failed hotel project bankrupted the couple who backed it.
一個失敗的旅館計畫讓出資的那對夫妻破產了。
- 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.