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.

They kicked in early this year when fear of a “SaaSpocalypse” swept debt markets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

The next day Morgan Stanley told investors buy Treasuries—specifically U.S. debt expiring in five years—in a note titled “Enough is Enough.”

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

And Americans’ unpaid credit-card debt is on the rise, as is use of the buy-now-pay-later option.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026

One area she is particularly cautious about is debt issued by tech giants like Alphabet, Amazon.com, and Oracle to build data centers.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Because we’re taking him out of his high interest rate credit card debt and putting him into lower interest rate mortgage debt.’

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

debt

Example Sentences

Related Words