Pronunciation: /dɛt/

Definitions of debt

noun a sum of money that is owed or due

Example Sentences

A1 I owe money to my friend, so I have a debt to repay.

A2 She took out a loan to pay off her debt.

B1 The company's debt has been steadily increasing over the past year.

B2 The government is working on a plan to reduce the national debt.

C1 His debt to society was finally paid off after serving his prison sentence.

C2 The billionaire's massive debt was the subject of much speculation in the financial world.

adjective related to something that is owed or due

Example Sentences

A1 She has a debt of $100 to her friend.

A2 He is struggling to pay off his debts.

B1 The company is in debt due to poor financial management.

B2 The government is facing a huge national debt.

C1 The debt crisis in the country is causing economic instability.

C2 The billionaire businessman accumulated massive debts in his failed ventures.

Examples of debt in a Sentence

formal The company is struggling to pay off its debt to creditors.

informal I have a lot of debt from my student loans.

slang I'm drowning in debt, dude.

figurative His kindness towards others is a debt that can never be fully repaid.

Grammatical Forms of debt

past tense

indebted

plural

debts

comparative

more debt

superlative

most debt

present tense

owes

future tense

will owe

perfect tense

has owed

continuous tense

is owing

singular

debt

positive degree

debt

infinitive

to owe

gerund

owing

participle

indebted

Origin and Evolution of debt

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Latin
Story behind the word: The word 'debt' originated from the Old French word 'dete', which came from the Latin word 'debitum' meaning 'something owed'.
Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'debt' has retained its core meaning of something owed, but its usage has expanded to encompass financial obligations, moral obligations, and other forms of indebtedness.