debit
Americannoun
-
debits
plural
-
the recording or an entry of debt in an account.
-
Bookkeeping.
-
that which is entered in an account as a debt; a recorded item of debt.
-
any entry or the total shown on the debit side.
-
the left-hand side of an account on which such entries are made (opposed to credit).
-
-
an undesirable or disadvantageous feature.
verb (used with object)
-
debits,
present (3rd person singular)
-
debited,
past participle, past
-
debiting
present participle
-
to charge with a debt.
The store debited her account for the purchase.
-
to charge as a debt.
The store debited the purchase to her account.
-
Bookkeeping. to enter upon the debit side of an account.
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
debitsimple
-
debitssimple
-
have debitedperfect
-
has debitedperfect
-
am debitingprogressive
-
are debitingprogressive
-
is debitingprogressive
-
have been debitingperfect progressive
-
has been debitingperfect progressive
Past
-
debitedsimple
-
had debitedperfect
-
was debitingprogressive
-
were debitingprogressive
-
had been debitingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of debit
1400–50; late Middle English < Old French < Latin dēbitum something owed; see debt
Explanation
A debit is a payment made or charged, or the notation of the amount charged. Trying to track down the mysterious $2 debit to your bank account is almost never fruitful, but you’re bound to do it anyway. From the Latin debere, meaning “to owe,” and just one i away from its more blunt cousin debt, a debit seems like a little word. But add an s to the end, and those charges really add up. You can use the word debit as a verb — “to debit your account,” or a noun — “the debit on your account,” but either way, a debit means you have less money than you had before!
Vocabulary lists containing debit
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 17
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
de-
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Century 21 Accounting, 9e, Chapters 1-3
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
She found the property on Google and was making payments by getting prepaid debit cards and transferring the code by phone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Cornwall Insight, the consultancy, has forecast that a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity, paid through direct debit, will pay £1,729 a year from October.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
PayPal in its earnings report pointed to growth in peer-to-peer payments platform Venmo and payments processor Braintree, as well as its debit card and buy now, pay later businesses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Starbucks' estimated credit and debit card payment volume fell 17 percent from May to June, according to local data platform firm IGAWorks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
I have less than two thousand dollars after this debit charge.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
Behind the scenes, the service will then automatically transfer direct debits and standing orders, move the balance, redirect incoming payments, such as benefits or salaries, and close your old account.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
Many people have been put off that idea owing to the perceived complication of wages being paid into that account, and direct debits and the like needing to be moved.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
It may also involve traditional accounting activities, such as tracking payments in a general ledger, involving debits and credits and double-entry accounting, as well as accounts payable activities of making payments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026
The ledger of Newman’s youth had mostly debits for the future painter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
And then the account book proper, with debits and credits on facing pages.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The bank fixed the error and gave him a deposit slip that read: “Correction, teller debited wrong account.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
In order to operate this way, fintech companies often need a middleman between the fintech company and the bank that can do the bookkeeping necessary to make sure customer accounts are credited and debited correctly.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2024
Similar protection services are offered for ACH or transactions that are debited directly from a business bank account.
From New York Times ● Jan. 7, 2024
This will ensure that the appropriate funds are debited or credited from your account when you pay for a purchase or receive compensation from work.
From Encyclopedia.com ● Feb. 5, 2018
Ordinarily, what is debited on one man's account is credited on another's, the cash received nearly balancing that paid out.
From Banking by William A. Scott
Warren also said that Bilt’s practice of immediately debiting rent payments may have run afoul of the 2009 Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act’s disclosure requirements for credit cards.
From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2026
Last month, the bureau punished Enova, which runs online lender CashNetUSA, for failing to honor promised loan extensions and for debiting customers’ bank accounts without authorization.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2019
This ability “endeared him to the Vatican,” because he could move church funds around by debiting an account in one branch and crediting one in another, with coins never changing hands.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 6, 2015
“All debt management is, is debiting and crediting different accounts,” Mr. Mosler said, recalling seeing numbers appear and disappear from his computer at Bankers Trust in New York in the 1970s.
From New York Times ● Jul. 4, 2013
The next is John Sinclair, jun.; after debiting his out-takes, he received 8s. 4d. in cash?-Yes.
From Second Shetland Truck System Report by William Guthrie
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.
