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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Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.

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Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?

The Sunflower State

The Evergreen State

The Magnolia State

The Mockingbird State

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Origin of IOU

First recorded in 1610–20; representing I owe you

Words nearby IOU

iota, iotacism, iothalamate sodium, iothalamic acid, Iō-tō, IOU, -ious, IOW, Iowa, Iowa City, Iowan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for IOU

The markets cheered as AIG touted a $35 billion dent on its taxpayer IOU.
When Will We Get Our Money Back?|Nomi Prins|March 2, 2010|DAILY BEAST
She is the author of the bestsellers The Silent Takeover and IOU: The Debt Threat .
The New Co-op Capitalism|Noreena Hertz|February 23, 2009|DAILY BEAST
This way he had more to eat or to sell for IOU's to collect later.
The Biography of a Rabbit|Roy Benson
“Good liquor spilt,” he remarked as he counted the money and drew another IOU for the amount loaned, which was sixty-seven pounds.
The Tale of Timber Town|Alfred Grace

Au premier home du precieus lignaige, et au daerrain, ai iou deuise demonstrer mes meruelles.
Studies on the Legend of the Holy Grail|Alfred Nutt
The evening previous he had lost a thousand dollars, for which he had given his IOU.
Jack's Ward|Horatio Alger, Jr.
It answers to the Welsh au or iau, and the Breton ou or iou.
A Handbook of the Cornish Language|Henry Jenner

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.

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