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

If that revenue isn’t replaced, the ruling could add more than $2 trillion to the $38.7 trillion national debt over the next decade, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

From Barron's

Most recent U.S. national debt, after adding $696 billion in the first four months of the new fiscal year.

From Barron's

Most recent U.S. national debt, after adding $696 billion in the first four months of the new fiscal year.

From Barron's

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

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