debt
Americannoun
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something that is owed or that one is bound to pay to or perform for another.
a debt of $50.
- Synonyms:
- due , duty , obligation
-
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.
noun
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something that is owed, such as money, goods, or services
-
a debt that has little or no prospect of being paid
-
an obligation to pay or perform something; liability
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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
Other Word Forms
- debtless adjective
- superdebt noun
Etymology
Origin of debt
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”
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.
In the bond market, yields move in the opposite direction to prices, and rise whenever government debt sells off.
From MarketWatch
I had some debt from school, and have already paid it off.
From MarketWatch
But on the credit front Morgan Stanley’s Lindsay Tyler was less encouraged in a note last week that focused on Oracle’s debt.
From MarketWatch
Strategy on Monday also said it established the reserve of U.S. dollars to support dividends on its preferred stock and interest on debt.
Regulators in Puerto Rico said late Friday they had tentatively approved a contract with the liquefied natural gas supplier, which has faced questions about its ballooning debt.
From Barron's
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.
