debt

[det]

noun

1. something that is owed or that one is bound to pay to or perform for another.

   a debt of $50.

   Synonyms: due, duty, obligation

2. a liability or obligation to pay or render something.

   My debt to her for advice is not to be discharged easily.

3. the condition of being under such an obligation.

   His gambling losses put him deeply in debt.

4. Theology.,  an offense requiring reparation; a sin; a trespass.

debt

/ dɛt /

noun

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

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

3. an obligation to pay or perform something; liability

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

5. a temporary failure to maintain the necessary supply of something

   sleep debt

   oxygen debt

debt

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

Other Word Forms

• debtless adjective
• superdebt noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of debt¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of debt¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see head over heels (in debt).

Example Sentences

Total deployments—or money invested—in the past twelve months rose to 24.9 billion euros from 20.4 billion euros a year prior, and most of this went to private equity and debt financing, it said.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

The leveraged buyouts of today tend to carry less debt than those done before the financial crisis.

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Occidental has been selling noncore assets to raise cash to pay down debt.

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Froneri also had a debt financing earlier this year and its €15 billion valuation includes debt, the people said.

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The Rajapaksa family dragged Sri Lanka into a debt crisis marked by fuel, medicine and electricity shortages.

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Related Words

• arrears 
• bill 
• capital 
• commitment 
• credit 
• damage 
• deficit 
• due 
• indebtedness 
• liability 
• mortgage 
• obligation 
• price tag 
• receipt