debenture
Americannoun
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Also called: debenture bond. a long-term bond, bearing fixed interest and usually unsecured, issued by a company or governmental agency
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a certificate acknowledging the debt of a stated sum of money to a specified person
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a customs certificate providing for a refund of excise or import duty
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of debenture
1425–75; late Middle English debentur < Latin dēbentur ( mihi ) there are owing (to me), 3rd person plural passive indicative of dēbēre to owe ( see debt)
Explanation
A document that tells how much money you owe someone is a debenture. If you borrow ten dollars from the neighbor kid's lemonade stand earnings, you'd better at least leave him a debenture. Debenture, pronounced "deh-BEN-chur," looks and sounds like its Latin root, debentur, which means "there are due." A debenture is a receipt or certificate that acknowledges a debt, which you give someone who loans you money. Debenture is also your ability to use credit to get things now that you promise to pay for later.
Vocabulary lists containing debenture
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.
Still, the company has $1.3 billion in reserve, as well as a new $175 million convertible debenture facility to fund its ongoing construction ramp.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Wimbledon has secured an exemption for its debenture tickets, which provide a premium seat on the show courts for five years along with access to exclusive restaurants and bars.
From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025
These were the kind of guys who knew what a debenture was yet had a feel for programming and knew enough to hire good people and leave them alone.
From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 2021
Excluding, a one-time non-cash debenture charge and restructuring charges, the company reported a profit of 1 cent a share.
From Reuters ● Dec. 19, 2014
The debenture holders were eating up the capital, and the ordinary shareholders were clamouring for a dividend, while the sea threatened to eat up the land.
From The Squire's Daughter by Silas K(itto) Hocking
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
