national debt

American  

noun

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

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national debt British  

noun

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

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national debt Cultural  

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

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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

With Venezuela saddled with about $160 billion in outstanding national debts, she also put a high priority on reintegrating into the global capitalist order that her government had long shunned.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 2026

They figure inflation and interest rates will have to rise to bring national debts under control.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 17, 2025

European leaders recently agreed to a landmark 750 billion euro stimulus package on top of hundreds of billions spent since the start of the crisis, ballooning national debts and deficits.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2020

General Assembly approved a plan to develop a new legal framework to restructure national debts.

From US News • Dec. 31, 2014

But the use of the system of credit, and the general establishment of constitutional government, have enabled the difficulty to be surmounted by the creation on a vast scale of national debts.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3 "Fenton, Edward" to "Finistere" by Various