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debt

[ det ]
/ dɛt /
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See synonyms for debt on Thesaurus.com
noun
something that is owed or that one is bound to pay to or perform for another: a debt of $50.
a liability or obligation to pay or render something: My debt to her for advice is not to be discharged easily.
the condition of being under such an obligation: His gambling losses put him deeply in debt.
Theology. an offense requiring reparation; a sin; a trespass.
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Origin of debt

1175–1225; Middle English dette<Old French <Latin dēbita (neuter plural, taken in VL as feminine singular), noun use of dēbitus, past participle of dēbēre to owe, contraction of *dēhabēre, equivalent to dē-de- + habēre to have, possess

OTHER WORDS FROM debt

debtless, adjectivesu·per·debt, noun

Words nearby debt

de Broglie waves, débrouillard, debruise, Debs, Debs, Eugene V., debt, debt consolidation, debt issue, debt limit, debt of honor, debt of honour
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to debt

arrears, bill, capital, commitment, credit, damage, deficit, due, indebtedness, liability, mortgage, obligation, price tag, receipt, albatross, baggage, bite, check, chit, claim

How to use debt in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for debt

debt
/ (dɛt) /
noun
something that is owed, such as money, goods, or services
bad debt a debt that has little or no prospect of being paid
an obligation to pay or perform something; liability
the state of owing something, esp money, or of being under an obligation (esp in the phrases in debt, in (someone's) debt)
a temporary failure to maintain the necessary supply of somethingsleep debt; oxygen debt

Derived forms of debt

debtless, adjective

Word Origin for debt

C13: from Old French dette, from Latin dēbitum, from dēbēre to owe, from de- + habēre to have; English spelling influenced by the Latin etymon
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

Cultural definitions for debt

debt

Money, goods, or services owed by an individual, firm, or government to another individual, firm, or government.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with debt

debt

see head over heels (in debt).

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