Debt Definition: Money Owed and How to Use It

Meaning 1：money owed (debt)

debt 🔊

/dɛt/

Money that you owe to someone else, or something you need to repay.

Debt discussion: family planning budget with debt papers

money owed 🔊

➕

/ˈmʌni oʊd/

An amount of money that one party (the borrower) owes to another party (the lender), typically requiring repayment with interest.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：初级

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'debitum' (something owed), from de- 'away' + habere 'to have'.

💡 Mnemonic

The silent 'b' in 'debt' reminds you: 'Big Debt' – 'b' stands for 'big'.

📖 Example

After saving for years, they finally paid off their home debt and felt relieved. 🔊 After saving for years, they finally paid off their home debt and felt relieved.

🔗 Collocations

in debt – owing money to someone

pay off debt – to repay all money owed

national debt – the total amount of money a country's government owes

🔄 Synonyms

obligation (n.) – a duty or commitment to repay money

liability (n.) – a financial obligation or debt

indebtedness (n.) – the state of owing money

🚫 Antonyms

asset (n.) – something valuable owned

credit (n.) – money available to borrow

surplus (n.) – excess of assets over liabilities

🌱 Derivatives

debtor (n.) – a person who owes money

indebted (adj.) – owing money or gratitude

debt-free (adj.) – not owing any money

📖 Cultural Story

The word 'debt' entered English via Old French 'dete', from Latin 'debitum'. The silent 'b' was added in the 15th century to reflect its Latin root, not pronunciation.