national debt

American  

noun

1. the financial obligations of a national government resulting from deficit spending.

---

national debt British  

noun

1. Also called (esp US): public debt.  the total outstanding borrowings of a nation's central government

---

national debt Cultural  

1. The debt of the government; the amount of borrowing by the government to meet expenditures exceeding tax revenues.

---

Discover More

A large national debt can inhibit growth and drive up interest rates.

Etymology

Origin of national debt

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

national debt

Its Director David Aikman said that "treading water is not enough" to prevent the national debt from rising.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

If we advertise that right and stream it in primetime, we might be able to settle the national debt.

From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2026

Massie is a throwback libertarian who, in lieu of the standard lawmaker flag pin, wears on his lapel a national debt clock that he programmed himself.

From Slate ● May 19, 2026

WASHINGTON—The U.S. national debt now exceeds 100% of gross domestic product, crossing a once-unthinkable threshold, on the way toward breaking the record set in the wake of World War II.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

A reasonable estimate of the additional costs for capitalizing a gradual emancipation program would have increased the national debt to about $125 million.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis