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

Instead, construction materials for a new home now cost builders thousands of dollars more, U.S. automakers have written off billions in tariff losses and the U.S. national debt has grown to more than $39 trillion.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

The national debt, meanwhile, topped $39 trillion in March.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Sweden’s national debt office will auction a combined 8 billion Swedish kronor in June 2032- and October 2036-dated government bonds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

Japanese authorities have abundant instruments to restrain bond yields, and by implication the interest costs on the country’s world-beating national debt, adds David Roberts, head of fixed income at Nedgroup Investments.

From Barron's • Feb. 10, 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