- debt
- noun1 sum of money owedADJECTIVE▪ big, crippling, enormous, heavy, high, huge, large, massive, substantial▪
He was burdened with crippling debts.
▪ mounting▪a company faced with mounting debts
▪ outstanding, unpaid▪She used her lottery winnings to pay off her outstanding debts.
▪ bad (= that cannot be repaid)▪Bad debt has hit the bank's profits this year.
▪ long-term, short-term▪ overall, total▪ gross, net▪ commercial, corporate▪ federal, government▪ consumer▪ external, foreign, international▪ national, public▪The country has a national debt of 80% of GNP.
▪ personal▪He used the cash to pay off personal debts.
▪ gambling▪ credit-card, loan, mortgage▪Managing your student loan debt is not easy.
VERB + DEBT▪ be burdened with, have, owe (sb)▪the substantial debts that the company owed to the bank
▪ accumulate, incur, run up▪She ran up huge debts on her credit card.
▪ clear, eliminate, meet, pay, pay back, pay off, repay, retire (AmE, finance), settle▪Without a job, he'll never clear his debts.
▪It'll take months to pay off all your debts.
▪ reduce▪ tackle▪The new governments main aim is to tackle the country's massive debt.
▪ default on▪The company defaulted on its debt and its assets were seized.
▪ cancel, erase, forgive, wipe out, write off▪After a series of meetings, the banks were forced to write off the company's debts.
▪ service (= pay interest on)▪The fall in exports has left the country unable to service its debts.
▪ refinance, reschedule, restructure▪The company has reached a deal allowing it to restructure its debts.
▪ consolidate▪He wanted to consolidate his debts into one payment.
▪ manage▪The first step in managing your debt is to stop incurring it.
▪ secure▪a debt secured on property
DEBT + VERB▪ fall due (BrE)▪ stand at sth, total sth▪The national debt stands at $7 billion.
▪ arise from sth (BrE)▪debts arising from bad investments
DEBT + NOUN▪ collection, collector▪ payment, repayment▪ burden, level, load, obligation▪Data show that debt levels at private companies are increasing.
▪ problem▪ management▪We offer financial and debt-management advice.
▪ cancellation, forgiveness, relief▪ reduction▪ consolidation▪ service▪ crisis▪a solution to the debt crisis of the developing world
PREPOSITION▪ of debt▪$80 million of debt
PHRASES▪ a burden of debt▪Faced with a mounting burden of debt, he sold off the company.
▪ payment of a debt, repayment of a debt, settlement of a debt2 state of owing moneyADJECTIVE▪ seriousVERB + DEBT▪ get into, go into, slip into▪It is easy to get into serious debt with a credit card.
▪ get out of▪You can get out of debt by strict economizing.
PREPOSITION▪ in debt▪He was heavily in debt by the time he sought advice.
▪ out of debt▪We're all struggling to stay out of debt.
PHRASES▪ deeply in debt, heavily in debt3 sth that you owe sbADJECTIVE▪ greatVERB + DEBT▪ owe▪ acknowledge, recognize▪ repay▪She was simply repaying a debt, saving his career in return for him saving hers.
PREPOSITION▪ in sb's debt▪I will be forever in Ruth's debt for the excellent advice she gave me.
▪ debt to▪In the introduction, the author acknowledges her debt to other writers on the subject.
PHRASES▪ owe a debt of gratitude to sb▪We owe a great debt of gratitude to our families for their support.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
Look at other dictionaries:
debt — n [Old French dette, ultimately from Latin debita, plural of debitum debt, from neuter of debitus, past participle of debere to owe] 1: something owed: as a: a specific sum of money or a performance due another esp. by agreement (as a loan… … Law dictionary
debt — W2S2 [det] n [Date: 1200 1300; : Old French; Origin: dette, from Latin debitum, from debere to owe ] 1.) a sum of money that a person or organization owes debt of ▪ This over ambitious strategy has saddled them with debts of around $3,000,000.… … Dictionary of contemporary English
Debt — • That which is owed or due to another; in general, anything which one person is under an obligation to pay or render to another Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Debt Debt … Catholic encyclopedia
debt — [ det ] noun *** 1. ) count an amount of money that you owe: By this time we had debts of over $15,000. run up a debt (=let it increase): She had run up debts of nearly $10,000. pay (off)/repay a debt: Many people experience difficulty in paying… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
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… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
debt — debt; debt·less; debt·or; in·debt; in·debt·ed; in·debt·ed·ness; in·debt·ment; … English syllables
debt — debt, indebtedness, obligation, liability, debit, arrear mean something, and especially a sum of money, that is owed another. Debt usually implies that the amount is owed in return for goods, property, or services and can be definitely computed… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
debt — A liability on a claim (SA Bankruptcy.com) Under Title 11 U.S.C. Section 101: (12) The term debt means liability on a claim. United Glossary of Bankruptcy Terms 2012 … Glossary of Bankruptcy
debt — [det] n. [altered (after L) < ME & OFr dette < L debitum, neut. pp. of debere, to owe < de , from + habere, to have: see HABIT] 1. something owed by one person to another or others 2. an obligation or liability to pay or return something … English World dictionary
debt — (n.) late 13c., dette, from O.Fr. dete, from L. debitum thing owed, neuter pp. of debere to owe, originally, keep something away from someone, from de away (see DE (Cf. de )) + habere to have (see HABIT (Cf … Etymology dictionary
debt — [n] money owed to others albatross*, arrearage, arrears, bad news*, baggage*, below the line*, bill, bite*, capital, check, chit*, claim, commitment, credit, cuff*, damage*, dead horse*, debenture, debit, deficit, due, dues, duty, encumbrance,… … New thesaurus