Three years later, he is still paying off his debts.
Shrinking economies mean falling tax revenues and more government debt.
...reducing the country's $18 billion foreign debt.
Synonyms: debit, bill, score, account More Synonyms of debt
2. See also bad debt
3. uncountable noun
Debt is the state of owing money.
Stress is a main reason for debt.
See in debt
4. countable noun [usually singular, oft in poss N]
You use debt in expressions such as I owe you a debt or I am in your debt when you are expressing gratitude for something that someone has done for you.
[formal, feelings]
He was so good to me that I can never repay the debt I owe him.
I owe a debt of thanks to Joyce Thompson, whose careful and able research was ofgreat help.
I know I shall feel for ever in her debt.
Synonyms: indebtedness, obligation More Synonyms of debt
debt in British English
(dɛt)
noun
1.
something that is owed, such as money, goods, or services
2. bad debt
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 thephrases in debt, in (someone's) debt)
5.
a temporary failure to maintain the necessary supply of something
sleep debt
oxygen debt
Derived forms
debtless (ˈdebtless)
adjective
Word origin
C13: from Old French dette, from Latin dēbitum, from dēbēre to owe, from de- + habēre to have; English spelling influenced by the Latin etymon
debt in American English
(dɛt)
noun
1.
something owed by one person to another or others
2.
an obligation or liability to pay or return something
3.
the condition of owing
to be in debt
4. Theology
a sin
Word origin
altered (after L) < ME & OFr dette < L debitum, neut. pp. of debere, to owe < de-, from + habere, to have: see habit
debt in Accounting
(dɛt)
Word forms: (regular plural) debts
noun
(Accounting: Commerce)
A debt is an amount of money that you owe someone.
The company planned to use the proceeds from the sale to help pay the debt incurred in its proposed $12 billion acquisition.
The company is considering whether to sell other assets to reduce its debts.
A debt is an amount of money that you owe someone.
debt-to-equity ratio, bad debt
PronunciationNote the silent 'b' in this word, and in the related word debtor.
COBUILD Collocations
debt
clear your debts
credit card debt
crippling debt
government debt
Examples of 'debt' in a sentence
debt
We owe our intelligence services a huge debt of gratitude.
The Sun (2016)
He made no secret of the directly architectural debt he owed to the prints.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
This is inevitably encouraging people to pay their debt.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is less than a decade since the western banking system collapsed under a cascade of bad debts.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There is no explicit central government guarantee and it would be difficult to introduce one without a blowout in the government debt numbers.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The Government says this austerity is essential to reduce the national debt.
The Sun (2016)
Investors also bought into weaker eurozone sovereign debt, which was sold off last year.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
I owe him a great debt.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The increasingly long interest-free periods mean that it is easy to lose focus on repaying your debt and then have to pay heavy penalties.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
For a variety of reasons, the first quarter of 2017 is expected to see a huge volume of debt issuance.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Many other large debts of gratitude have accrued during the writing of this book.
John Garth TOLKIEN AND THE GREAT WAR: The Threshold of Middle-earth (2003)
The huge debt that a lot of comics have to me.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
We owe a great debt to these women who made the gospel possible.
Christianity Today (2000)
Spurs owed no debt to good fortune.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
What makes me most uneasy is government debt.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In the past we understood the debt we owe dogs.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Those who have outstanding debts should consider paying them off as a first port of call.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
National debt is the least of our worries.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Yet it is a phenomenally important actor in the sovereign debt saga.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Foreign debts and budget deficits have been shrinking.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
This was the first time that the providers of capital were offered limited liability for debts.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Lie awake thinking about how to repay your personal debts?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The situation is not likely to improve as lenders move to reduce the risk of bad debts.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There are three ways to reduce the burden of debt in a country.
Redwood, John The Global Marketplace (1993)
It said problems with sovereign debt could still harm the global economy.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It depends on what you mean by debt.
Charles A. D'Ambrosio & Stewart D. Hodges & Richard Brealey & Stewart Myers Principles of Corporate Finance (1991)
The exercise will lead to an impaired credit history and huge debts for years to come.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He is owed a great debt of gratitude from us all for his confidence and tremendous tenacity.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Or do you think letting them go into debt is a good idea?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The deal means that he can pay off his debts.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The assets will be used to reduce the figures for government debt and the liabilities will simply disappear from view.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Debt isn't something you can talk about easily.
The Sun (2010)
So he owed Britain a debt of gratitude.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Yet it is quite clear that Greece's debt obligations have become impossible to meet.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Quotations
In the midst of life we are in debtEthel Watts Mumford et al.Altogether New Cynic's Calendar
Debt is the worst povertyThomas FullerGnomologia
In other languages
debt
British English: debt /dɛt/ NOUN
A debt is a sum of money that you owe someone.
He is still paying off his debts.
American English: debt
Arabic: دَيْن
Brazilian Portuguese: dívida
Chinese: 欠款
Croatian: dug
Czech: dluh
Danish: gæld
Dutch: schuld bedrag
European Spanish: deuda
Finnish: velka
French: dette
German: Schulden
Greek: χρέος
Italian: debito
Japanese: 借金
Korean: 빚
Norwegian: gjeld
Polish: dług
European Portuguese: dívida
Romanian: datorie
Russian: долг
Latin American Spanish: deuda
Swedish: skuld
Thai: หนี้
Turkish: borç
Ukrainian: заборгованість
Vietnamese: món nợ
All related terms of 'debt'
in debt
If you are in debt or get into debt , you owe money . If you are out of debt or get out of debt , you succeed in paying all the money that you owe.
bad debt
A bad debt is a sum of money that has been lent but is not likely to be repaid .
debt swap
A debt swap is a legal agreement where two people or companies exchange their debts, often where one has a fixed interest rate and one does not.
debt advice
If you give someone advice , you tell them what you think they should do in a particular situation.
debt burden
A debt burden is a large amount of money that one country or organization owes to another and which they find very difficult to repay .
debt crisis
a situation in which the large debts owed by a number of individuals , organizations or countries threaten to overwhelm them, so that they become unable to service their debts which, in turn , may threaten the stability of larger structures
debt issue
any fixed corporate obligations , as bonds or debentures
debt-laden
having large debts
debt limit
the legal maximum debt permitted a municipal , state, or national government
debt relief
assistance with a debt burden , e. g . through being forgiven part of a debt or being given more favourable repayment terms
debt-ridden
Debt-ridden countries, companies, or people owe extremely large amounts of money.
funded debt
the part of the national debt , consisting mostly of consols , that the government has no obligation to repay by a specified date
odious debt
sovereign debt incurred through activities which do not serve the best interests of the nation, esp when incurred by a despotic, tyrannical , or otherwise unjust and oppressive regime . Such debts are typically considered invalid and written off after the regime is deposed
public debt
the total financial obligations incurred by all governmental bodies of a nation
debt charity
A charity is an organization which raises money in order to help people who are sick or very poor , or who have a disability .
debt covenant
A debt covenant is a number of restrictions that a borrower agrees to that are set by the lending institution.
debt problem
A problem is a situation that is unsatisfactory and causes difficulties for people.
debt recovery
You talk about the recovery of something when you get it back after it has been lost or stolen .
debt service
the amount set aside annually in a fund to pay the interest and the part of the principal due on a debt
floating debt
short-term government borrowing , esp by the issue of three-month Treasury bills
judgment debt
a debt established or confirmed by decree of a court of law
national debt
the total outstanding borrowings of a nation's central government
unfunded debt
a short-term floating debt not represented by bonds
crippling debt
A debt is a sum of money that you owe someone.
debt collector
a person that collects debts on behalf of creditors
debt counsellor
a person who advises people who are in debt on how to deal with their debt and get out of it
debt repayment
the action of repaying debts , or a single payment made to wards paying off a debt
government debt
A debt is a sum of money that you owe someone.
sovereign debt
the debt of a national government, esp debt that is issued in a foreign currency
debt consolidation
the process of taking out a new loan (often secured on one's property) in order to pay off a number of existing debts
debt forgiveness
the action or process of forgiving people their debts
debt of honor
a gambling debt : not legally enforceable
debt of honour
a debt that is morally but not legally binding , such as one contracted in gambling
debt rescheduling
the process of changing the time frame or deadline for the repayment of debt , usually to ease the burden on the debtor
debt restructuring
Debt restructuring is a method of organizing a company's debts in a different way in order to make the company more likely to be able to pay them.
subordinated debt
a debt that an unsecured creditor can only claim , in the event of a liquidation , after the claims of secured creditors have been paid
credit card debt
A debt is a sum of money that you owe someone.
debt collection agency
a company that collects debts on behalf of creditors
debt-to-equity ratio
A company's debt-to-equity ratio is a measure of leverage that is calculated by dividing total liabilities by shareholders ' equity .
residual debt insurance
Residual debt insurance is a type of risk insurance that banks often require when granting a loan , which is used to guarantee that the loan is repaid in the event of death or disability .
collateralized debt obligation
a debt security collateralized by a number of debt obligations including loans and bonds of different credit quality and maturity
clear your debts
A debt is a sum of money that you owe someone.
Chinese translation of 'debt'
debt
(dɛt)
n
(c) (= sum of money owed) 债(債)务(務) (zhàiwù) (笔, bǐ)
(u) (= state of owing money) 欠债(債) (qiànzhài)
to be in/get into debt负(負)债(債) (fùzhài)
to be/get out of debt不欠债(債) (bù qiànzhài)
bad debt坏(壞)账(賬) (huàizhàng)
to be in sb's debt/owe sb a debt (frm) 欠某人的人情债(債) (qiàn mǒurén de rénqíngzhài)
All related terms of 'debt'
bad debt
坏(壞)账(賬) huàizhàng
a spiral of debt
一连(連)串债(債)务(務) yīliánchuàn zhàiwù
tax/debt collector
收税(稅)/讨(討)债(債)员(員) shōushuì/tǎozhàiyuán
to run into debt
陷入债(債)务(務) xiànrù zhàiwù
to default on a debt
拖欠借款 tuōqiàn jièkuǎn
to be in/get into debt
负(負)债(債) fùzhài
to be/get out of debt
不欠债(債) bù qiànzhài
to be in sb's debt/owe sb a debt
( frm ) 欠某人的人情债(債) qiàn mǒurén de rénqíngzhài
to be up to one's ears in debt/work
深陷入债(債)务(務)/工作 shēnxiàn rù zhàiwù/gōngzuò
1 (noun)
Definition
a sum of money owed
He is still paying off his debts.
Synonyms
debit
The total of debits must match the total of credits.
bill
They couldn't afford to pay the bills.
score
So what is the score anyway?
account
a detailed account of all expenditures
due
duty
commitment
I've got too many commitments to take on anything more right now.
obligation
I have an ethical and moral obligation to my client.
liability
arrears
money owing
2 (noun)
(formal)
I owe a debt of thanks to her
Synonyms
indebtedness
obligation
The companies failed to meet their obligation to plant new trees.
phrases
See in debt
See in someone's debt
Quotations
In the midst of life we are in debt [Ethel Watts Mumford et al. – Altogether New Cynic's Calendar]Debt is the worst poverty [Thomas Fuller – Gnomologia]
Additional synonyms
in the sense of account
a detailed account of all expenditures
Synonyms
ledger,
book,
charge,
bill,
score,
statement,
balance,
register,
reckoning,
tally,
inventory,
invoice,
computation
in the sense of bill
Definition
a statement of money owed for goods or services supplied
They couldn't afford to pay the bills.
Synonyms
charges,
rate,
costs,
score,
account,
damage (informal),
statement,
reckoning,
expense,
tally,
invoice,
note of charge
in the sense of commitment
Definition
an obligation, responsibility, or promise that restricts freedom of action
I've got too many commitments to take on anything more right now.