Adjacent Words

Debt definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DEBT, n. det. [L. debitum, contracted.]
1. That which is due from one person to another, whether money, goods, or services; that which one person is bound to pay or perform to another; as the debts of a bankrupt; the debts of a nobleman. It is a common misfortune or vice to be in debt.
When you run in debt, you give to another power over your liberty.
2. That which any one is obliged to do or to suffer.
Your son, my lord, has paid a soldier's debt.
Hence death is called the debt of nature.
3. In law, an action to recover a debt. This is a customary ellipsis. He brought debt, instead of an action of debt.
4. In scripture, sin; trespass; guilt; crime; that which renders liable to punishment.
Forgive us our debts. Lord's Prayer.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the state of owing something (especially money); "he is badly in debt"
2: money or goods or services owed by one person to another
3: an obligation to pay or do something

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English dette, debte, from Anglo-French dette something owed, from Vulgar Latin *debita, from Latin, plural of debitum debt, from neuter of debitus, past participle of deb?re to owe, from de- + hab?re to have — more at give Date: 13th century 1. sin, trespass 2. something owed ; obligation <unable to pay off his debts> 3. a state of owing <deeply in debt> 4. the common-law action for the recovery of money held to be due • debtless adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 something that is owed, esp. money. 2 a state of obligation to pay something owed (in debt; out of debt; get into debt). Phrases and idioms: debt-collector a person who is employed to collect debts for creditors. debt of honour a debt not legally recoverable, esp. a sum lost in gambling. in a person's debt under an obligation to a person. Etymology: ME det(te) f. OF dette (later debte) ult. f. L debitum past part. of debere owe

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Debt Debt, n. [OE. dette, F. dette, LL. debita, fr. L. debitus owed, p. p. of debere to owe, prop., to have on loan; de- + habere to have. See Habit, and cf. Debit, Due.] 1. That which is due from one person to another, whether money, goods, or services; that which one person is bound to pay to another, or to perform for his benefit; thing owed; obligation; liability. Your son, my lord, has paid a soldier's debt. --Shak. When you run in debt, you give to another power over your liberty. --Franklin. 2. A duty neglected or violated; a fault; a sin; a trespass. ``Forgive us our debts.'' --Matt. vi. 12. 3. (Law) An action at law to recover a certain specified sum of money alleged to be due. --Burrill. Bond debt, Book debt, etc. See under Bond, Book, etc. Debt of nature, death.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(debts) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A debt is a sum of money that you owe someone. Three years later, he is still paying off his debts... ...reducing the country's $18 billion foreign debt. N-VAR see also bad debt 2. Debt is the state of owing money. Stress is a main reason for debt. • If you are in debt or get into debt, you owe money. If you are out of debt or get out of debt, you succeed in paying all the money that you owe. He was already deeply in debt through gambling losses... How can I accumulate enough cash to get out of debt? PHRASE 3. You use debt in expressions such as I owe you a debt or I am in your debt when you are expressing gratitude for something that someone has done for you. (FORMAL) He was so good to me that I can never repay the debt I owe him... N-COUNT: usu sing, oft in poss N [feelings]

Easton's Bible Dictionary

The Mosaic law encouraged the practice of lending (Deut. 15:7; Ps. 37:26; Matt. 5:42); but it forbade the exaction of interest except from foreigners. Usury was strongly condemned (Prov. 28:8; Ezek. 18:8, 13, 17; 22:12; Ps. 15:5). On the Sabbatical year all pecuniary obligations were cancelled (Deut. 15:1-11). These regulations prevented the accumulation of debt.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Due, obligation, liability, debit. 2. Trespass, offence, transgression, sin, fault, shortcoming, misdoing.

Foolish Dictionary

A big word beginning with Owe, which grows bigger the more it is contracted.

Moby Thesaurus

accountability, accountable, answerable for, arrearage, arrears, beholden, borrowing, debit, debtor, default, deficit, delinquency, due, encumbered, encumbrance, financing, hire purchase, hitting, hitting-up, hocking, in arrears, in debt, in hock, in the red, indebted, indebtedness, installment buying, installment plan, liability, liable, money-raising, mortgaging, nonpayment, obligation, owing, pawning, pledging, responsibility, responsible, sin, straitened, touching, under obligation, wickedness, wrong