51Թ

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View synonyms for

debt

[ det ]

noun

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

    a debt of $50.

    Synonyms: , ,

  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

/ ɛ /

noun

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

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

  • ˈٱ, adjective
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • l adjective
  • p· noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of debt1

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English dette, from Old French, from Latin ŧٲ (neuter plural, taken in Vulgar Latin as feminine singular), noun use of ŧٳܲ “owed,” past participle of ŧŧ “to owe,” contraction of ŧ󲹲ŧ (unrecorded), from ŧ- de- + 󲹲ŧ “to have”
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of debt1

C13: from Old French dette, from Latin ŧٳܳ, from ŧŧ to owe, from de- + 󲹲ŧ to have; English spelling influenced by the Latin etymon
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Idioms and Phrases

see head over heels (in debt) .
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The parties had already signalled their urgency last month, when they pushed through significant reform of Germany's strict debt rules.

From

Confidence in the US economy is plummeting as investors dumped government debt amid growing concerns over the impact of Donald Trump's tariffs.

From

“I literally could cry about it right now because I remember when I got ‘The Bold Type,’ I was in debt and I got my first paycheck and I cried because it was so small.

From

This program is designed to help young borrowers pay off their debt faster, as well as help companies recruit talented workers.

From

Republicans are pushing tax cuts that would balloon America’s debt by $4.6 trillion over the next decade in order to funnel money back to the wealthy.

From

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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.

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