From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishliquidateliq‧ui‧date /ˈlɪkwədeɪt/ verb 1 [intransitive, transitive]BFL to close a business or company and sell the things that belong to it, in order to pay its debts2 [transitive] technicalBFL to pay a debt The stock was sold to liquidate the loan.3 [transitive] informalKILL to kill someone or destroy something that is causing a problem→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
liquidate• Thousands, branded parasitical intellectuals merely because they spoke a foreign language or wore spectacles, were systematically liquidated.• He liquidated all his material stocks and bought everything spot, paying in ninety-day bills, if possible.• As soon as he has been liquidated, another of the Seven, Philip, takes over.• On paper, liquidate everything you have -- house, car, gadgets, investments.• The following day, when the price difference had widened to £2125, Harry liquidated his intracommodity spread.• One would liquidate itself over time by paying claims, much of it to cover pollution and asbestos exposures.• If the firm gets into difficulty, its bankers become intimately involved in restructuring or liquidating the firm.• Some frustrated ranchers, having liquidated their entire herds, will not be re-entering the market for at least 18 months.From Longman Business Dictionaryliquidateliq‧ui‧date /ˈlɪkwədeɪt/ verbFINANCE1[transitive] to sell an investment for cashHoldings of units can be liquidated quite quickly.2[intransitive, transitive] if someone liquidates a company, or if the company liquidates, all of its assets are sold in order to pay its debts. Any money left after that is returned to shareholders and the company stops operatingRather than trying to reorganize, the airline will liquidate.→ See Verb tableOrigin liquidate (1500-1600) Late Latin past participle of liquidare “to melt”, from Latin liquidus; → LIQUID2 