public debt

noun

1. national debt.

public debt

noun

1. the total financial obligations incurred by all governmental bodies of a nation
2. another name for national debt

Word History and Origins

Origin of public debt¹

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

Donald Trump has nominated Scott Bessent to lead the US Treasury Department, a post with wide oversight of tax policy, public debt, international finance and sanctions.

From BBC

Scholz and his Green partners want tackle this by loosening constitutional rules on public debt to allow more spending.

From BBC

And heavy federal spending in response to the pandemic added to the deficit and bloated public debts, which will crowd out investments and increase the government’s interest costs.

From Los Angeles Times

You can read more about the plans we know about here, including Rachel Reeves’ big, planned announcement to change how the country’s enormous public debts are counted.

From BBC

Analysts are divided on which plan will generate more economic growth, but one thing is clear: More and more public debts will increasingly crowd out investment and accumulation of private productive capacity.

From Los Angeles Times