arrears
Americanplural noun
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the state of being behind or late, especially in the fulfillment of a duty, promise, obligation, or the like.
Many homeowners have fallen into arrears.
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Sometimes arrear something overdue in payment; a debt that remains unpaid.
Those countries that have paid their arrears may be granted additional loans.
idioms
noun
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Also called: arrearage. (sometimes singular) something outstanding or owed
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late in paying a debt or meeting an obligation
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of arrears
1300–50; noun use of arrear (adv., now obsolete), Middle English arere behind < Middle French ≪ Latin ad retrō. See ad-, retro-
Explanation
If you are in arrears, you are behind in the payment of a debt. Think: rears = behind. Arrears also refers to the unpaid, overdue debt itself. Your rent arrears are the money you owe on rent. Arrears is a term often used in a legal context — like, when you've had to hire a lawyer because you're being sued by your landlord, or being evicted because you're in arrears on your rent. Before it comes to eviction, though, you should try negotiating with your landlord first. They would probably be more interested in collecting arrears, even late, than in evicting you and starting with a new tenant from scratch.
Vocabulary lists containing arrears
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty
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The Cuckoo's Calling
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The government created a £65m Rent Arrears Fund to support struggling renters in October 2021.
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2022
The government said that, in addition to the Rent Arrears Fund, it is "making £316m available next financial year to prevent homelessness, as well as ending section 21 no-fault evictions".
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2022
"Arrears as per the above direction shall be paid by the Respondent/Management in three monthly equal instalments commencing from 01.09.2021," the order read.
From Reuters • Aug. 17, 2021
Arrears of more than 90 days represented 1.45 percent of the 1.4 million of outstanding buy-to-let mortgages in the third quarter, CML data show.
From BusinessWeek • Feb. 9, 2012
So much of the session as the Crime Bill had spared was consumed by the Arrears Bill, over which we had again a "crisis" with the House of Lords.
From Handbook of Home Rule Being articles on the Irish question by Godkin, Edwin Lawrence
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
