faillite

bankruptcy

noun fah-EET Rare

Origin: From Italian fallita, from fallire ('to fail').

Also means

failure

Usage Note

Faillite is primarily a legal term for insolvency: déposer le bilan is the formal act, while faire faillite means 'to go bankrupt'. Figuratively, une faillite morale means 'a moral failure'. The 't' is silent.

Examples

"L'entreprise a déclaré faillite."

Natural Translation

The company declared bankruptcy.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

Je t'aime vs Je t'adore: I Love You in French

Je t'aime is the real romantic I love you; je t'adore means warm fondness, not romance. Here's the person-vs-thing rule and the bien trap that flips it.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

French False Friends: 25 Faux Amis to Avoid

French false friends look like English words but mean something else: actuellement is not actually, sensible means sensitive. Here are 25 faux amis to avoid.

June 3, 2026 5 min read

FrenchNow

French Filler Words: Euh, Bah, Du Coup, Quoi

French filler words like euh, bah, du coup, and quoi make you sound fluent, not lazy. Learn what each one does, where it goes, and how to use them naturally.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

French Numbers 1 to 100: Count With Confidence

French numbers 1 to 100 in one complete chart, with pronunciation, the et-un rule, hyphens, and the four-twenties system explained so you can count anywhere.

June 4, 2026 6 min read