national debt

American  

noun

1. the financial obligations of a national government resulting from deficit spending.

---

national debt British  

noun

1. Also called (esp US): public debt.  the total outstanding borrowings of a nation's central government

---

national debt Cultural  

1. The debt of the government; the amount of borrowing by the government to meet expenditures exceeding tax revenues.

---

Discover More

A large national debt can inhibit growth and drive up interest rates.

Etymology

Origin of national debt

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

Example Sentences

Massie is a throwback libertarian who, in lieu of the standard lawmaker flag pin, wears on his lapel a national debt clock that he programmed himself.

From Slate • May 19, 2026

The official U.S. national debt is now equal to 100% of annual gross domestic product and is expected to rise to 120% by 2036.

From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026

That figure is not included in the “official” national debt, which recently hit $31 trillion.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

“This marks the first month in which the national debt has exceeded GDP since the pandemic,” Vail Hartman, strategist at BMO Capital Markets writes.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

A reasonable estimate of the additional costs for capitalizing a gradual emancipation program would have increased the national debt to about $125 million.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis