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Showing results for in arrears. Search instead for In arrear.
Synonyms

in arrears

Idioms  

  1. Late or behind, especially in payment of money. For example, He's been in arrears on his rent so often that he may be evicted. [First half of 1600s]

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.

They highlighted how few of their loans were in arrears.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Tariffs are paid a month in arrears, meaning the Supreme Court’s decision will likely affect March’s tariff revenue.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

They included a couple now £13,000 in arrears on a home they bought, and a woman who faced the repossession of a house she left following a marriage breakdown 15 years earlier.

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025

That is paid only in arrears, which means they start compensating you in 2026 for the rise in prices between 2024 and 2025.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 19, 2025

The pews were decrepit, the bills were once so in arrears the electricity was nearly turned off, and the padre hadn’t installed air-conditioning, despite summer temperatures that reach 120 degrees.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

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.