debtor
Americannoun
-
debtors
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of debtor
1250–1300; Middle English detto ( u ) r < Anglo-French dett ( o ) ur, de ( b ) tour, Old French det ( t ) or < Latin dēbitōr-, stem of dēbitor, equivalent to dēbi-, variant stem of dēbēre ( see debt) + -tor -tor
Explanation
A debtor is someone who owes money. If you borrow from a bank to buy a car, you are a debtor. Most of us are debtors at some point in our lives. We borrow money to buy houses or cars, to attend college, or to tide us over when we're between jobs. Businesses and large institutions can also be debtors, and even countries are often debtors. If a developing country borrows money from a wealthier one, the borrower is a debtor. The opposite of a debtor is a creditor.
Vocabulary lists containing debtor
Vocabulary from the Magna Carta on its 800th Anniversary
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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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:
“Older debtors are the fastest-growing demographic of debtors,” said Eleni Schirmer, an organizer with the Debt Collective debtor activist organization, who is writing a book on the rise of aging borrowers.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
A promise to pay money is only as good as the fidelity of the debtor and the integrity of the currency in which the creditor is paid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
In court documents, Donald Trump is named as a "debtor" while it lists SLC Turnberry Limited - the company that runs the resort - is named as an "arrestee".
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
It ended 2025 as Africa's fourth-largest IMF debtor, with $4.1 billion outstanding, and recently received a further $365 million under a bailout programme.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026
As a former foreign minister now serving as secretary of state, Jefferson required no instruction on the international implications of Americas debtor status.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Two new bills in Congress seek to protect older adults from having their Social Security benefits garnished to repay outstanding student loans, in moves meant to provide some relief for the fastest-growing population of debtors.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
So will the new money for many of China’s debtors in the developing world, where it’s the largest creditor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
Ray Dalio: A weak currency and low interest rates are good for borrowers and debtors and stimulative to markets and economies.
From Barron's ● Feb. 6, 2026
The billions available to repay defrauded customers includes assets under the control of the debtors, the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2024
Siddhartha became impatient at losses, he lost his patience with slow-paying debtors, he was no longer kindhearted to beggars, he no longer had the desire to give gifts and loans to the poor.
From "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse
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.
