debt
something that is owed or that one is bound to pay to or perform for another: a debt of $50.
a liability or obligation to pay or render something: My debt to her for advice is not to be discharged easily.
the condition of being under such an obligation: His gambling losses put him deeply in debt.
Theology. an offense requiring reparation; a sin; a trespass.
Origin of debt
1Other words for debt
Other words from debt
- debtless, adjective
- su·per·debt, noun
Words Nearby debt
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use debt in a sentence
The rest plan to restructure their debts, close money-losing stores, and continue operation.
Why bankruptcy is rarely the end for retailers in dire straits | Alexandra Ossola | September 17, 2020 | Quartz“There is so much debt production and debt monetization,” Dalio said.
Ray Dalio issues stark warning about U.S. dollar’s future as global reserve currency | Claire Zillman, reporter | September 16, 2020 | FortuneThe cost of the combined wars will probably surpass $7 trillion by 2056, when interest on the debt is considered, almost four decades from now.
Trump’s ABC News town hall: Four Pinocchios, over and over again | Glenn Kessler | September 16, 2020 | Washington PostThey also like precious metals and debt of just about any flavor.
Is M&A back? Investors hope so, and that’s lifting global stocks | Bernhard Warner | September 15, 2020 | FortuneLocal banks, meanwhile, keep securitizing their mortgage debt, sloughing off their own liabilities.
Climate Change Will Force a New American Migration | by Abrahm Lustgarten, photography by Meridith Kohut | September 15, 2020 | ProPublica
Big discounts and cheap credit keep them coming back for more; and keep millions in perpetual debt.
Some of the concern over student debt is likely driven by the startling headline numbers.
The Student Loan Crisis That Isn’t About Kids at Harvard | Monica Potts | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThese low-income students take on debt and are also the least likely to finish.
The Student Loan Crisis That Isn’t About Kids at Harvard | Monica Potts | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBy 2013, the company owed the lender about $35,000 per month—solely in interest payments—and imploded in debt.
Patients Screwed in Spine Surgery ‘Scam’ | The Center for Investigative Reporting | November 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“So let history record that Iran owes an invaluable debt to al Qaeda,” he added.
It is painful to add, that the latter years of his life were passed in prison, where he was confined for debt.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel MunsellIt sent gold to Paris as fast as it could be shipped and insured, and so seems to have liquidated its debt.
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur PhillipsThis rascal was owed a debt for the indignity he had offered the sahib in the village, and now he was paid in full.
The Red Year | Louis TracyIn conclusion, I must distress my friend J. M. Barrie (who gave me a first chance) by acknowledging my great debt to him.
First Plays | A. A. MilneI owe you a large debt of gratitude, which I want to work out—so do not talk of sending me away.
The World Before Them | Susanna Moodie
British Dictionary definitions for debt
/ (dɛt) /
something that is owed, such as money, goods, or services
bad debt a debt that has little or no prospect of being paid
an obligation to pay or perform something; liability
the state of owing something, esp money, or of being under an obligation (esp in the phrases in debt, in (someone's) debt)
a temporary failure to maintain the necessary supply of something: sleep debt; oxygen debt
Origin of debt
1Derived forms of debt
- debtless, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for debt
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with debt
see head over heels (in debt).
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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