liquidated

Liquidated describes actions related to liquidation, the process of converting assets into cash or winding up affairs. In finance, to liquidate means to sell assets or close positions to obtain cash, often so obligations can be paid or losses realized.

Corporate liquidation is the formal winding up of a company’s affairs. A liquidator is appointed to realize assets, pay creditors in statutory order, and distribute any remaining assets to shareholders. Liquidation can be voluntary, initiated by the company or its creditors, or involuntary, ordered by a court. In many jurisdictions liquidation terminates the company’s legal existence.

Liquidated damages are a contractual remedy in which the parties predefine a fixed sum payable for breach, provided the clause meets enforceability standards. A liquidated claim or debt describes an amount that is fixed and undisputed, or a debt that has been settled and marked as liquidated in records.

Ethical/legal usage varies: "to liquidate" someone can mean to kill or eliminate, a sense common in criminal or clandestine contexts, though unrelated to the financial or corporate processes described here. The term blends across finance, law, and contracts, with distinct meanings in each domain.