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
-
late in paying a debt or meeting an obligation
Other Word 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.
One mother said she turned to food banks after the CMS failed to make her ex-partner pay child maintenance, leaving arrears of almost £10,000.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Her GB team-mate Jade O'Dowda sat 13th, 491 points in arrears of the pace-setting Ireland athlete.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Social Security benefits are paid one month in arrears.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
There are other outstanding questions: Can you enforce the arrears awarded in the first order?
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
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.
