debt

American  

[det] / dɛt /

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 British  

/ 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 Cultural  

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

---

debt Idioms  

1. see head over heels (in debt).

---

Other Word Forms

• debtless adjective
• superdebt noun

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.

Example Sentences

The firm has benefited from stowing away profits since the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine and doesn’t rely as heavily on debt to fund its trades as some rivals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Having outstanding debt can damage your credit score and make it harder to get a loan.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

The cost of college in particular shot up, which helped make student debt a ballooning line item on millennials’ balance sheets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

In the case of the nation’s burgeoning debt, something will have to stop it.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

But this is only part of my debt to the internet: day after day the postman has brought packages of books to my door, acquired from far-flung corners of the world.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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