FORECLO'SE, verb transitive s as z. To shut up; to preclude; to stop; to prevent. The embargo with Spain foreclosed this trade. To foreclose a mortgager, in law, is to cut him off from his equity of redemption, or the power of redeeming the mortgaged premises, by a judgment of court. [To foreclose a mortgage is not technically correct, but is often used.]
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI