arrears

[ uh-reerz ]
/ əˈrɪərz /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR arrears ON THESAURUS.COM

plural noun

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.
Sometimes arrear . something overdue in payment; a debt that remains unpaid: Those countries that have paid their arrears may be granted additional loans.

Idioms for arrears

    in arrears, behind or late, especially in payment: She was three months in arrears on her mortgage and credit card payments.Also Chiefly Law, in arrear .

Origin of arrears

1300–50; noun use of arrear (adv., now obsolete), Middle English arere behind <Middle French ≪ Latin ad retrō.See ad-, retro-

OTHER WORDS FROM arrears

ar·rear·age, noun

Words nearby arrears

arras, Arrau, array, arrayal, arrearage, arrears, arrector, arrenotoky, arrest, arrestable, arrestant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to arrears

liability, obligation, deficit, deficiency, debit, claim

Example sentences from the Web for arrears

British Dictionary definitions for arrears

arrears
/ (əˈrɪəz) /

noun

Also called: arrearage (əˈrɪərɪdʒ) (sometimes singular) something outstanding or owed
in arrears or in arrear late in paying a debt or meeting an obligation

Word Origin for arrears

C18: from obsolete arrear (adv) behindhand, from Old French arere, from Medieval Latin adretrō, from Latin ad to + retrō backwards
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with arrears

arrears

see in arrears.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.