debtor
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
In some cases an alleged debtor asks for and gets more time to respond.
From BBC • May 22, 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 Japanese rates rise, debtor nations will feel pressure to offer higher rates to keep Japanese investors buying their bonds.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026
“It’s not a routine Chapter 11 case,” a lawyer for lenders that have agreed to provide First Brands with more than $1 billion in emergency debtor financing told the judge.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025
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
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.
