Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

debt limit

American  

noun

  1. (in public finance) the legal maximum debt permitted a municipal, state, or national government.


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.

The Treasury has broad statutory authority to issue debt in any form, subject to the debt limit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has urged Congress to address the debt limit by mid-July and warned if they do not, the US could be unable to pay its bills as early as August.

From BBC • Jun. 30, 2025

And, third, any policy passed through budget reconciliation must directly affect federal spending, revenue, or the debt limit.

From Salon • Apr. 7, 2025

In the end, they actually defied him, passing a bill that was silent about the debt limit.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2024

Higher government revenues from the cyclical upturn in 2006 reduced Germany's budget deficit to within the EU's 3% debt limit.

From The 2007 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency