IOU

or I.O.U.

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a written acknowledgment of a debt, especially an informal one consisting only of the letters IOU, the sum owed, and the debtor's signature.

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have

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Origin of IOU

First recorded in 1610–20; representing I owe you

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use IOU in a sentence

Director Yoo Dong-hun and screenwriter Lee Jung-u were arrested for firebombing theaters.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea|Rich Goldstein|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And so the “Glo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-ria” in this number earns it a spot on my list.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.|Michael Tomasky|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mahoney helped author the I-STOP legislation based on data his office collected in regard to fraud.
No More Paper Prescriptions: Docs Fight Fraud by Going Electronic|Dale Eisinger|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He came at David O. Selznick's urging, and together they made Rebecca, Spellbound, and The Paradine Case.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

As of 2012, there are over 523,000 people across the country on Medicaid waiver lists; over 309,000 of those people have I/DD.
Medicaid Will Give You Money for At-Home Care, but You Might Wait Years|Elizabeth Picciuto|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
U was an Usurer, a miserable elf; V was a Vintner, who drank all himself.
Boys and Girls Bookshelf; a Practical Plan of Character Building, Volume I (of 17)|Various
O death, how bitter is the remembrance of thee to a man that hath peace in his possessions!
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
D'o l'on peut aussy veoir, quelle esperance il y a de planter une belle chrestient par tels evangelistes.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614|Various
That they may know thee, as we also have known thee, that there is no God beside thee, O Lord.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

British Dictionary definitions for IOU

IOU

noun

a written promise or reminder to pay a debt

Word Origin for IOU

C17: representing I owe you

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for IOU

IOU

Abbreviation for “I owe you.” An IOU is a written statement of a borrower's obligation to pay a debt.