debt

noun

ˈdet How to pronounce debt (audio)
Definition of debtnext
1
as in obligation
something (as money) which is owed he filed for bankruptcy when his debts exceeded his assets

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in crime
a breaking of a moral or legal code forgive us our debts

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of debt Its debt remained above $7 billion at the end of the second quarter. — Michael Wayland, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026 The United States is $40 trillion in debt and adding roughly $2 trillion per year, with no prospect of major fiscal reforms. — Jennifer Kavanagh, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026 Senegal, which faces tight budgetary constraints due to ballooning debt, has spent nearly all of its full-year allocation for fuel subsidies already. — Paige Bruton, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026 That means the federal government will continue to make massive interest payments that will only add to its $40 trillion pile of debt. — Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for debt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for debt
  1. obligation
  2. crime
  3. score
  4. sin
  5. indebtedness
  6. violation
  7. bankruptcy
Noun
  • Current remaining performance obligation (cRPO) up 14% in constant currency, which is also 1 percentage point above the July quarter guide.
    — Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The school board directed the Superintendent to determine what the district’s financial obligations would be if a Schools of Hope charter occupied a closed school.
    — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of obligation
Noun
  • Which of these adults will have their real estate crimes interrupted by those meddling kids and their puppy?
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The plan involves the United States taking more direct control over Venezuelan reserves as crime and steep logistical challenges discourage private investors.
    — Evan Halper, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of crime
Noun
  • The musical features an original score by Christopher Nightingale, Josh Cohen and DJ Walde, drawing on protest anthems, pop, rock, disco and the Welsh choral tradition.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026
  • For example, borrowers with low FICO scores — a barometer of consumer credit scores — are showing greater signs of stress.
    — Sharon Epperson,Stephanie Dhue, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of score
Noun
  • Van Staden was joined in the sin-bin in the next minute by Cobus Reinach for a deliberate knock-on.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • In academia, there is no greater sin than passing off another’s work as one’s own.
    — Roger J. Kreuz, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of sin
Noun
  • And according to a European intelligence report this past June, Russian lenders are vulnerable due to soaring indebtedness and deteriorating loans.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The lack of access to institutional credit and chronic indebtedness is also seen by some researchers as a contributing factor to the phenomenon of farmer suicides in rural India.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of indebtedness
Noun
  • The violations on the report include employees not having a food handler card, as well as no drain plugs being seen when observing the plumbing.
    — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The states argue that Meta withheld relevant information from users and parents, who might have benefited from knowing the ineffectiveness of the feature and others like it, constituting a violation of consumer protection laws.
    — John Ruwitch, NPR, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of violation
Noun
  • Before GLP-1s won over insurers and consumers alike, a whole generation of obesity drugs failed to reach blockbuster status; some instead went to bankruptcy court.
    — Avalon Pernell, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • On October 15, 2018, Sears Holdings Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
    — Jason Goldberg, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of bankruptcy

Browse Nearby Words

debs
debt
debts
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Cite this Entry

“Debt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debt. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on debt

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about debt

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