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Collateralize for Dummies

verb

pronunciation: kʌ'lætɝrʌ,laɪz

What does Collateralize really mean?

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Hey there! So, let's chat about the word "collateralize." I'm here to help you understand it in the simplest way possible. Now, have you ever borrowed something from a friend, let's say a cool video game? Your friend might worry that you'll forget to return it or accidentally break it. So, what could your friend do to protect themselves? Well, they might ask you to give them something you own as a form of guarantee, just in case you don't return their video game. That something you give them is called collateral.

Alright, now let's relate this to the word "collateralize." When we talk about this, we're looking at a situation where someone is providing collateral, like your video game example, to secure a loan or a debt. You see, sometimes when you want to borrow money from a bank or another person, they may want something valuable from you as a guarantee. This way, if you can't repay the loan, they can keep or sell that valuable thing to recover their money. That's what it means to "collateralize" something.

Now, here's another way to think about it. Imagine you want to buy a really cool toy that costs a lot of money. You don't have enough money right now, but you really want that toy. So, you go to the toy store and ask if you can pay for the toy in installments, which means paying a little bit of money every month until you've paid for the entire toy. But the toy store owner wants to make sure they'll get their money back, so they ask you to leave something valuable, like a special book, as collateral until you've paid off the toy completely. That toy store owner just collateralized the toy sale to protect themselves.

In summary, "collateralize" means providing something valuable as a guarantee for a loan or a debt. It's like leaving a security deposit when you rent a house or leaving your favorite toy with the toy store until you've paid for it. It's a way for the person lending you money or giving you something expensive to make sure they won't lose out if you can't fulfill your promise or pay them back.

Revised and Fact checked by Alex Johnson on 2023-10-28 05:52:40

Collateralize In a sentece

Learn how to use Collateralize inside a sentece

  • Imagine you want to borrow money from the bank to buy a car. But you don't have enough money right now. So, you can use the car itself as collateral. This means that if you can't pay back the money, the bank can take your car and sell it to get their money back.
  • Let's say your parents want to buy a house, but they don't have enough money. They can talk to a bank and use the house they want to buy as collateral. If they can't pay back the money, the bank can take the house and sell it to get the money.
  • If a company wants to expand its business and needs money, they can collateralize their equipment and machinery. This means they can use those things as a guarantee to the bank. If the company fails to repay the money, the bank can take the equipment and machinery to recover the money.
  • Sometimes people want to start their own business, but they don't have enough money. They can go to a lender and offer to collateralize their savings account or other valuable possessions. This way, if they cannot repay the loan, the lender can take those possessions to get their money back.
  • Let's say you want to go on a vacation, but you need some extra money. You can go to a pawnshop and collateralize your valuable jewelry or electronics. If you can't pay back the money, the pawnshop can keep your jewelry or electronics and sell them to recover the money.

Collateralize Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.