debt

[ det ]
See synonyms for debt on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. something that is owed or that one is bound to pay to or perform for another: a debt of $50.

  2. a liability or obligation to pay or render something: My debt to her for advice is not to be discharged easily.

  1. the condition of being under such an obligation: His gambling losses put him deeply in debt.

  2. Theology. an offense requiring reparation; a sin; a trespass.

Origin of debt

1
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English dette, from Old French, from Latin dēbita (neuter plural, taken in Vulgar Latin as feminine singular), noun use of dēbitus “owed,” past participle of dēbēre “to owe,” contraction of dēhabēre (unrecorded), from dē- de- + habēre “to have”

Other 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

British Dictionary definitions for debt

debt

/ (dɛt) /


noun
  1. something that is owed, such as money, goods, or services

  2. bad debt a debt that has little or no prospect of being paid

  1. an obligation to pay or perform something; liability

  2. the state of owing something, esp money, or of being under an obligation (esp in the phrases in debt, in (someone's) debt)

  3. a temporary failure to maintain the necessary supply of something: sleep debt; oxygen debt

Origin of debt

1
C13: from Old French dette, from Latin dēbitum, from dēbēre to owe, from de- + habēre to have; English spelling influenced by the Latin etymon

Derived 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

debt

Money, goods, or services owed by an individual, firm, or government to another individual, firm, or government.

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

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.