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Synonyms

debt

American  
[det] / dɛt /

noun

  1. something that is owed or that one is bound to pay to or perform for another.

    a debt of $50.
    Synonyms:
    due, duty, obligation

  2. a liability or obligation to pay or render something.

    My debt to her for advice is not to be discharged easily.

  3. the condition of being under such an obligation.

    His gambling losses put him deeply in debt.

  4. Theology. an offense requiring reparation; a sin; a trespass.

debt British  
/ dɛt /

noun

  1. something that is owed, such as money, goods, or services

  2. a debt that has little or no prospect of being paid

  3. an obligation to pay or perform something; liability

  4. the state of owing something, esp money, or of being under an obligation (esp in the phrases in debt, in ( someone's ) debt )

  5. a temporary failure to maintain the necessary supply of something

    sleep debt

    oxygen debt
"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
debt Cultural  

  1. Money, goods, or services owed by an individual, firm, or government to another individual, firm, or government.

debt Idioms  

  1. see head over heels (in debt).

Other Word Forms

  • debtless adjective
  • superdebt noun

Etymology

Origin of debt

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English dette, from Old French, from Latin dēbita (neuter plural, taken in Vulgar Latin as feminine singular), noun use of dēbitus “owed,” past participle of dēbēre “to owe,” contraction of dēhabēre (unrecorded), from dē- de- + habēre “to have”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Intel said it would fund the purchase through a combination of cash on hand and about $6.5 billion in new debt issuances.

From The Wall Street Journal

Still, the safety of Treasury debt is a function of math and confidence.

From The Wall Street Journal

There is also an “other” category that can include loans to private debt funds.

From The Wall Street Journal

Insolvent usually describes a business or individual that can’t pay its debts as they come due.

From Barron's

Beyond Meat said it recorded a $548.7 million noncash gain due to a debt restructuring, which bolstered income in the quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.