debt
Americannoun
-
debts
plural
-
something that is owed or that one is bound to pay to or perform for another.
a debt of $50.
- Synonyms:
- due, duty, obligation
-
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.
noun
-
something that is owed, such as money, goods, or services
-
a debt that has little or no prospect of being paid
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an obligation to pay or perform something; liability
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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 something
sleep debt
oxygen debt
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of debt
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English dette, from Old French, from Latin dēbita (neuter plural, taken in Vulgar Latin as feminine singular), noun use of dēbitus “owed,” past participle of dēbēre “to owe,” contraction of dēhabēre (unrecorded), from dē- de- + habēre “to have”
Explanation
The noun debt refers to an obligation to pay for or do something. If you get arrested for stealing, serving time in jail is the way to repay your debt to society. Debt comes from the Latin word debitum, which means "thing owed." Often, a debt is money that you must repay someone. Debt can also mean the state of owing something — if you borrow twenty dollars from your brother, you are in debt to him until you pay him back. If someone says, "I owe you a debt of gratitude," it means you have done something great and that person intends to do something to "repay" your kindness.
Vocabulary lists containing debt
Material World: Shopping Lingo
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The Great Depression and The New Deal
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Economics
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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.
See Examples For:
As MarketWatch reported earlier, Bank of America’s chief equity strategist expects the U.S. national debt to reach $50 trillion in three years, which could spell more pain for investors in bonds.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
Also, King Power’s 9 billion baht debt repayment to AOT last month should ease market concerns about the financial position of King Power, which operates duty-free concessions at some airports operated by AOT.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
And even if you are not in debt, you pay.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stepped in last week in an attempt to calm the bond market by announcing bigger buybacks of long-dated U.S. government debt starting next month.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
“Good-night again, sir. There is no debt, benefit, burden, obligation, in the case.”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
Consultancy Baringa says everyone could, on average, be paying £100 to cover the cost of unpaid debts by the end of the year.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
It’s about soaring national debts, coupled with a refusal to admit that there is any limit to the amount that can be borrowed.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
And that’s money the billionaire can apply to pay down the debts of two troubled Delaware life insurers he owns that are under federal scrutiny.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Between 2004 and 2012, about 40% of borrowers’ charged-off debts were still being reported one year later.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
I had other debts to settle as well, and as much as I wanted to be out from under Devi’s thumb, I didn’t relish starting the semester without a bit of coin in my pocket.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
