debt

[det] / dɛt /

NOUN

money owed to others

Synonyms

STRONGEST

arrears bill capital commitment credit damage deficit due indebtedness liability mortgage obligation price tag receipt

STRONG

IOU albatross baggage bite check chit claim cuff debenture debit dues duty encumbrance invoice manifest note reckoning responsibility score tab tally voucher

WEAK

arrearage bad news below the line dead horse in hock in the hole in the red outstandings promissory note red ink

Antonyms

STRONG

irresponsibility

WEAK

asset cash excess profit

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Licadho said it has documented 23 suicides and dozens of cases of migration, child labor and decreased food consumption linked to microfinance debt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026

The U.S. government uses debt to finance some of this growth.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

In March, Amazon raised $54 billion across U.S. and European debt markets in one of the biggest corporate bond offerings in history.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026

Forbes tallied Jim Justice’s net worth to be as much as $1.9 billion until 2021; more recently, it declared him “broke” and facing $1 billion in debt.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026

Prices kept on spiraling upward, merchandise grew shorter and shorter in supply, and everybody seemed to be in debt.

From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

Vocabulary lists containing debt

Material World: Shopping Lingo

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The Great Depression and The New Deal

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Economics

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