debit

American  

[deb-it] / ˈdɛb ɪt /

noun

1. the recording or an entry of debt in an account.

2. Bookkeeping.

   1. that which is entered in an account as a debt; a recorded item of debt.

   2. any entry or the total shown on the debit side.

   3. the left-hand side of an account on which such entries are made (opposed to credit).

3. an undesirable or disadvantageous feature.

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verb (used with object)

1. to charge with a debt.

   The store debited her account for the purchase.

2. to charge as a debt.

   The store debited the purchase to her account.

3. Bookkeeping. to enter upon the debit side of an account.

debit British  

/ ˈdɛbɪt /

noun

1. 1. acknowledgment of a sum owing by entry on the left side of an account

   2. the left side of an account

   3. an entry on this side

   4. the total of such entries

   5. ( as modifier ) Compare credit

      a debit balance

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verb

1. (tr)

   1. to record (an item) as a debit in an account

   2. to charge (a person or his account) with a debt Compare credit

Other Word Forms

• predebit
  noun
• redebit
  verb (used with object)
• undebited
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of debit

1400–50; late Middle English < Old French < Latin dēbitum something owed; see debt

Explanation

A debit is a payment made or charged, or the notation of the amount charged. Trying to track down the mysterious $2 debit to your bank account is almost never fruitful, but you’re bound to do it anyway. From the Latin debere, meaning “to owe,” and just one i away from its more blunt cousin debt, a debit seems like a little word. But add an s to the end, and those charges really add up. You can use the word debit as a verb — “to debit your account,” or a noun — “the debit on your account,” but either way, a debit means you have less money than you had before!

Example Sentences

The typical annual usage figure applies to the first category: dual-fuel households on a standard variable tariff which pay by direct debit.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

The grocery chain agreed to pay $7.4 million in fees to customers who purchased items from March to July 2019 and received receipts showing too many digits of their credit or debit card.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

She says at one stage her energy company called to suggest she doubled her direct debit to £845 per month.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Financial products have been increasingly adding gamelike features that create competition or instant gratification to keep users hooked — and the latest example is a prepaid debit card with a “buy-now-pay-maybe” feature.

From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026

So if I buy a bar of gold worth £500,1 credit £500 to my current account, and I debit £500 to my list of assets.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton