debtor
noun
debt·or ˈde-tər 
1
: one guilty of neglect or violation of duty
2
: one who owes a debt
Example Sentences
The debtor agrees to pay the debt over a three-year period.
Recent Examples on the Web Bankruptcy loans, or debtor-in-possession financing packages, are obtained by most big companies in Chapter 11 bankruptcy to help fund operations while working on plans to repay creditors. 
Jeremy Hill, Bloomberg.com, 16 Aug. 2022 In student loan discharge decisions, judges regularly consider the expenses associated with a debtor’s children. Jacqueline R. Evans, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2022 The Tax Section requests additional guidance to clarify that bona fide[5] loans outstanding at the obligor’s death to an entity in which the debtor has previously gifted an interest are not subject to the exceptions to the special rule. Alan Gassman, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 This was true whether the debtor was male or female. Jacqueline R. Evans, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2022 The debtor who borrowed 100 apples’ worth of bitcoin at five percent owes 110 apples’ worth in one year — a real interest rate of 10 percent. Steve H. Hanke, National Review, 2 Aug. 2022 The case presented Silverstein with one of the most contentious issues for bankruptcy judges — whether third parties who are not bankruptcy debtors themselves can escape future liability by contributing to a Chapter 11 debtor’s reorganization plan. The Salt Lake Tribune, 1 Aug. 2022 The Insider Preference Test of § 5(b) is not really a voidable transaction test at all, but rather a preference test (one creditor preferred by the debtor over another) very similar to the Bankruptcy Code's preference provisions. Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 20 June 2022 In a bankruptcy case, a creditor is an entity that had a claim—a right to payment or other remedy—against the debtor at or before the time of the filing. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 14 July 2022 See More
Jeremy Hill, Bloomberg.com, 16 Aug. 2022 In student loan discharge decisions, judges regularly consider the expenses associated with a debtor’s children. Jacqueline R. Evans, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2022 The Tax Section requests additional guidance to clarify that bona fide[5] loans outstanding at the obligor’s death to an entity in which the debtor has previously gifted an interest are not subject to the exceptions to the special rule. Alan Gassman, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 This was true whether the debtor was male or female. Jacqueline R. Evans, The Conversation, 4 Mar. 2022 The debtor who borrowed 100 apples’ worth of bitcoin at five percent owes 110 apples’ worth in one year — a real interest rate of 10 percent. Steve H. Hanke, National Review, 2 Aug. 2022 The case presented Silverstein with one of the most contentious issues for bankruptcy judges — whether third parties who are not bankruptcy debtors themselves can escape future liability by contributing to a Chapter 11 debtor’s reorganization plan. The Salt Lake Tribune, 1 Aug. 2022 The Insider Preference Test of § 5(b) is not really a voidable transaction test at all, but rather a preference test (one creditor preferred by the debtor over another) very similar to the Bankruptcy Code's preference provisions. Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 20 June 2022 In a bankruptcy case, a creditor is an entity that had a claim—a right to payment or other remedy—against the debtor at or before the time of the filing. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 14 July 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
debtor
noun
debt·or ˈde-tər
: a person who owes a debt
Legal Definition
debtor
noun
debt·or
: a person who owes a debt see also bankrupt compare creditor, obligee, obligor
Note: The Bankruptcy Act of 1978 calls the person concerned in a bankruptcy case the “debtor” as opposed to the “bankrupt.”