Synonyms

national debt

American

noun

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

national debt British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

national debt Cultural

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023