debt

[det]

noun

1. something that is owed or that one is bound to pay to or perform for another.

   a debt of $50.

   Synonyms: due, duty, obligation

2. a liability or obligation to pay or render something.

   My debt to her for advice is not to be discharged easily.

3. the condition of being under such an obligation.

   His gambling losses put him deeply in debt.

4. Theology.,  an offense requiring reparation; a sin; a trespass.

debt

/ dɛt /

noun

1. something that is owed, such as money, goods, or services

2. a debt that has little or no prospect of being paid

3. an obligation to pay or perform something; liability

4. the state of owing something, esp money, or of being under an obligation (esp in the phrases in debt, in ( someone's ) debt )

5. a temporary failure to maintain the necessary supply of something

   sleep debt

   oxygen debt

debt

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

Other Word Forms

• debtless adjective
• superdebt noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of debt¹

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of debt¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

see head over heels (in debt).

Example Sentences

Its deal with Barcelona comes as the football club is reportedly facing an uphill struggle to raise revenue and relieve its debt.

Read more on BBC

How do you recommend we get rid of the credit-card debt until I can find new employment?

Read more on MarketWatch

Trott could cut costs and reduce debt by selling some assets and focusing on its largest and most-profitable operations, he said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the pandemic, when the Fed aggressively bought debt in an effort to prop up the economy, yields on 10-year notes were less than 1%.

Read more on Barron's

In response, Berlin has eased its debt brake, allowing it to pour 500 billion euros, equivalent to around $580 billion, into a decadelong rearmament program.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• arrears 
• bill 
• capital 
• commitment 
• credit 
• damage 
• deficit 
• due 
• indebtedness 
• liability 
• mortgage 
• obligation 
• price tag 
• receipt