national debt

noun

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

national debt

noun

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

national debt

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of national debt¹

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

Example Sentences

It is the inevitable result of the growing national debt and higher interest rates.

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The size of the national debt and deficit is a concern for many Americans.

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The big challenge facing Lecornu and his two predecessors has been how to tackle France's crippling national debt and get over the ideological divisions between the centre-ground parties who could be part of a government.

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"It was doing a colossal job of managing an expensive national debt among many different aspects so it was decided to demolish and rebuild."

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Bayrou says young people will be saddled with years of debt payments "for the sake of the comfort of boomers", if France fails to tackle a national debt of 114% of its annual economic output.

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