debt

(dĕt)

1. Something owed, such as money, goods, or services: used the proceeds to pay off her debts; a debt of gratitude.

2. An obligation or liability to pay or render something to someone else: students burdened with debt.

3. The condition of owing: a young family always in debt.

4. Financial instruments, such as bonds, mortgages, and loans, that represent a claim to payment and rights of creditorship: invested in government debt; a company issuing debt.

5. A moral or legal obligation to make reparations or undergo punishment for committing an offense: a criminal repaying his debt to society.

[Middle English dette, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *dēbita, pl. of Latin dēbitum, debt, neuter past participle of dēbēre, to owe; see ghabh- in Indo-European roots.]

debt′less adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

debt

(dɛt)

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

2. (Banking & Finance) bad debt a debt that has little or no prospect of being paid

3. an obligation to pay or perform something; liability

4. (Banking & Finance) 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.

[C13: from Old French dette, from Latin dēbitum, from dēbēre to owe, from de- + habēre to have; English spelling influenced by the Latin etymon]

ˈdebtless adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

debt

(dɛt)

n.

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

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

3. a sin; trespass.

[1175–1225; Middle English dette < Old French < Latin dēbita (neuter pl., taken in Vulgar Latin as feminine singular), n. use of dēbitus, past participle of dēbēre to owe =dē- de- + habēre to have, possess]

debt′less, adj.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	debt - the state of owing something (especially money); "he is badly in debt" financial obligation, indebtedness, liability - an obligation to pay money to another party
	2.	debt - money or goods or services owed by one person to another liabilities - anything that is owed to someone else arrears - an unpaid overdue debt national debt - the debt of the national government (as distinguished from the debts of individuals and businesses and political subdivisions) public debt - the total of the nation's debts: debts of local and state and national governments; an indicator of how much public spending is financed by borrowing instead of taxation debt ceiling, debt limit - the maximum borrowing power of a governmental entity bad debt - a debt that is unlikely to be repaid installment debt - debt to be paid by installments loan - the temporary provision of money (usually at interest) principal - the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated score - an amount due (as at a restaurant or bar); "add it to my score and I'll settle later"
	3.	debt - an obligation to pay or do something obligation - a legal agreement specifying a payment or action and the penalty for failure to comply

debt

noun

1. debit, bill, score, account, due, duty, commitment, obligation, liability, arrears, money owing He is still paying off his debts.

2. (Formal) indebtedness, obligation I owe a debt of thanks to her

in debt owing, liable, accountable, in the red (informal), in arrears, overdrawn, beholden, in hock (informal, chiefly U.S.), behind with payments

in someone's debt indebted to, grateful, obliged to, thankful, appreciative, obligated to, beholden to, under an obligation to I shall be forever in your debt for all your kindness.

Quotations
"Debt is the worst poverty" [Thomas Fuller Gnomologia]

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

debt

noun

1. Something, such as money, owed by one person to another:

arrearage, arrears, due, indebtedness, liability, obligation.

2. A condition of owing something to another:

arrearage, arrears, indebtedness, liability, obligation.

Translations

دَيْن

dluh

gældskyld

Schuld Schulden Verbindlichkeit Verpflichtung Kreide

χρέος

deuda

velkavelvoite

dette emprunt

dug

adósságkötelezettségtartozás

skuld

debito debitorio indebitato si sdebitato colpa

借金

빚

skolingasskolininkas

parāds

долг задолженность обязанность

dolg

skuld

หนี้

borç

món nợ

债欠款

debt

[det]

A. N

1. (= money owed) → deuda f
bad debt → deuda incobrable
foreign debt (Pol) → deuda f externa or exterior
a debt of honour → una deuda de honor
to be in debt (to sb) → tener deudas or estar endeudado (con algn)
I am five pounds in debt → debo cinco libras (to a) to get into debt; run into debt; run up debts → contraer deudas
to be out of debt → tener las deudas saldadas

2. (fig) a debt of gratitude → una deuda de agradecimiento
to be in sb's debt → estar en deuda con algn

B. CPD debt collection N → cobro m de morosos
debt collector N → cobrador(a) m/f de morosos
debt ratio N → tasa f de endeudamiento
debt relief N → alivio m de deuda
debt service, debt servicing N (US) → amortización f de la deuda

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

debt

[ˈdɛt] n

(= money owed) → dette f
He's got a lot of debts → Il a beaucoup de dettes.
foreign debt [country] → dette f extérieure
to be in debt → avoir des dettes, être endetté(e)
to get into debt → s'endetter
to get out of debt → s'aquitter de ses dettes
bad debt → créance f irrécouvrable

[gratitude] → dette f
to be in sb's debt → être redevable à qn
to owe sb a debt → avoir une dette envers qn debt of thanks

(= indebtedness) → dettes fpldebt burden n → fardeau m de la dettedebt collector n → agent mf de recouvrement (de créances)debt forgiveness n → annulation f de la dettedebt-laden [ˈdɛtleɪd^ən] adj → croulant sous les dettes invdebt of thanks n → dette f de reconnaissance

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

debt

n (= money owed, obligation) → Schuld f; debt of honour (Brit) or honor (US) → Ehrenschuld f, → Verschuldung f → der öffentlichen Hand; to be in debt → verschuldet sein (to gegenüber); to be £5 in debt → £ 5 Schulden haben (to bei); he is in my debt (for money) → er hat Schulden bei mir; (for help etc) → er steht in meiner Schuld; to run or get into debt → Schulden machen, sich verschulden; to get out of debt → aus den Schulden herauskommen; to be out of debt → schuldenfrei sein; to repay a debt (lit, fig) → eine Schuld begleichen; I shall always be in your debt → ich werde ewig in Ihrer Schuld stehen

attr → Schulden-; debt relief/forgiveness → Schuldenerlass m; debt burden → Schulden pl

debt

debt collection agency

n → Inkassobüro nt

debt collector

n → Inkassobeauftragte(r) mf, → Schuldeneintreiber(in) m(f) (inf)

debt

debt relief

n → Schuldenerleichterung m

debt rescheduling

n → Umschuldung f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

debt

[dɛt] n → debito
debts of £5000 → debiti per 5000 sterline
a debt of honour/gratitude → un debito d'onore/di gratitudine or di riconoscenza
to be in debt (to sb) → essere indebitato/a (con qn), avere debiti (con qn)
I am £500 in debt → sono in debito di 500 sterline
to be in sb's debt (fig) → essere in debito verso qn
to get into debt → far debiti, indebitarsi
to be out of debt → essere libero/a da debiti

debt

(det) noun

what one person owes to another. His debts amount to over $3,000; a debt of gratitude.

ˈdebtor noun

a person who owes a debt.

in debt

owing money.

debt

→ دَيْن dluh gæld Schulden χρέος deuda velka dette dug debito 借金 빚 schuld gjeld dług dívida долг skuld หนี้ borç món nợ 欠款

debt

n. deuda.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

So now, as an infallible way of making little ease great ease, I began to contract a quantity of debt. I could hardly begin but Herbert must begin too, so he soon followed.

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Mayhap thou hadst better give an extension of his debt." Thus he spake, for he was afraid Sir Richard might do him a harm.

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Fred Vincy, we have seen, had a debt on his mind, and though no such immaterial burthen could depress that buoyant-hearted young gentleman for many hours together, there were circumstances connected with this debt which made the thought of it unusually importunate.

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A helpless woman, with a mock-husband in prison for debt! Say that I have not fallen quite so low yet as to forget what is due to you, and you will pay me a compliment that will be nearer to the truth.

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The little store of sovereigns in the tin box seemed to be the only sight that brought a faint beam of pleasure into the miller's eyes,--faint and transient, for it was soon dispelled by the thought that the time would be long--perhaps longer than his life,--before the narrow savings could remove the hateful incubus of debt. A deficit of more than five hundred pounds, with the accumulating interest, seemed a deep pit to fill with the savings from thirty shillings a-week, even when Tom's probable savings were to be added.

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'This debt will simply swallow all, And make my life a life of woe!'

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The public debt of the Union would be a further cause of collision between the separate States or confederacies.

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"Your men of energy are the very fellows TO fail," he said; "however, they shall find if I have had extraordinary energy in running into debt, that I have extraordinary energy, too, in getting out of it.

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It will be a sore, hard debt. I will have every joint of you unhinged so that you will be like a jelly-fish, like a fat pig with the bones removed, and I will then stake you out in the midmost centre of the dog-killing ground to swell in pain under the sun.

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Without a thrill he opened a thick envelope from THE MILLENNIUM, scanned the face of a check that represented three hundred dollars, and noted that it was the payment on acceptance for "Adventure." Every debt he owed in the world, including the pawnshop, with its usurious interest, amounted to less than a hundred dollars.

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His hand was always open to help others, but he often forgot to pay his just debts. At length one day his landlady, finding he could not pay his rent, arrested him for debt.

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The pictures, the statues, the flowers, the jewels, the carriages, and the horses--inquiry proved, to my indescribable astonishment, that not a sixpence of debt was owing on any of them.

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