noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of creditor
1400–50; late Middle English creditour < Latin crēditor, equivalent to crēdi- variant stem of crēdere to believe, entrust ( see credit) + -tor -tor
Explanation
If Joe loans you two dollars so you can buy a cup of coffee, Joe is your creditor — you owe him two dollars and a big thank you! If you have a credit card, the bank that issues it to you is your creditor. What they give you is not just a piece of plastic: rather it is a line of credit or a certain amount of money that they have agreed to loan you at fixed terms. Make sure you pay it off every month or you'll become a debtor!
Vocabulary lists containing creditor
Believe It or Not: Cred
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
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cred
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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.
The U.S. government is still investigating the allegations while seeking to be repaid through First Brands’ bankruptcy as a creditor.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
In some jurisdictions, a fraud victim — like a defrauded bank — may argue for treatment as a special class of creditor with direct access to trust funds.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
Glutality’s largest unsecured creditor is insurance giant United HealthCare, which has asserted an $8.5 million claim against the start-up citing “overpayment for medical services.”
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
Kerr is listed in Delaware bankruptcy documents as the company’s largest creditor — owed $630,000 — although that is listed as disputed.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026
I didn’t want Rufus having to face some creditor that I had angered with my twentieth-century brevity—which could come across as nineteenth-century abruptness, even discourtesy.
From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler
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.
