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quiebra

bankruptcy

noun KYEH-brah Rare

Origin: from quebrar (to break), from Latin crepare (to crack, burst)

Also means

collapse

Usage Note

Quiebra is the legal and financial term for bankruptcy or insolvency (declararse en quiebra = to file for bankruptcy). It also conveys figurative collapse: la quiebra del sistema = the breakdown of the system. Note that bancarrota is a near-synonym but carries a stronger connotation of total ruin; quiebra is the standard legal term in most Spanish-speaking countries.

Examples

"La empresa se declaró en quiebra el año pasado."

Natural Translation

The company declared bankruptcy last year.

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