- 1[countable] a sum of money that someone owes I need to pay off all my debts before I leave the country. an outstanding debt of $300 He had run up credit card debts of thousands of dollars.
- 2[uncountable] the situation of owing money, especially when you cannot pay He died heavily in debt. The club is $4 million in debt. We were poor but we never got into debt. It's hard to stay out of debt when you are a student. a country's foreign debt burden see bad debt
- 3[countable, usually singular] the fact that you should feel grateful to someone because they have helped you or been kind to you to owe a debt of gratitude to someone I would like to acknowledge my debt to my teachers. Idioms
to feel grateful to someone for their help, kindness, etc.
used to say that someone is being punished for a crime, usually by being put in prison He paid his debt to society for his previous convictions and is now a free man.
Check pronunciation: debt