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

Party City, which was similarly struggling with debt, rising costs and demand, had to shutter all its locations in 2024.

From Los Angeles Times

However, because a medical degree can take five or six years to complete - longer than most other degree courses - the BMA argues that resident doctors may have built up more student debt than other graduates.

From BBC

That rocketed annual inflation into triple digits and led to the crumbling of confidence among domestic and foreign investors, thus complicating the government’s ability to refinance its maturing debt obligations.

From Salon

Reform UK argues the process, known as quantitative tightening, is saddling the taxpayer with billions in losses and pushing up government debt costs.

From BBC

The data, which covers the period from April to June, shows that more than one million households have no arrangement to repay their debt, also a record high.

From BBC

Related Words

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