debt

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

State of owing money

Nouns

1. debt, indebtedness, obligation, liability, debit, score; charge, charge account; arrears, deferred payment, accounts receivable; deficit, default; insolvency, nonpayment, bankruptcy; bad debt, bills, nonperforming asset; national or public deficit; interest, usury; floating debt or capital. Informal, megadebt. See borrowing, accounting, insufficiency, failure, poverty, nonpayment.

2. debtor, debitor; defaulter. Slang, deadbeat.

3. lending, loan, [cash] advance, accommodation; encumbrance.

4. interest, usury; interest rate, points, prime rate, bank rate; simple or compound interest.

5. lender, banker, mortgagee, pawnbroker, pawnshop.

Verbs

1. be in debt, owe; incur or contract a debt; run up a bill or a score, run a tab, run up an account; borrow (see borrowing); run or get into debt; accrue debts; outrun the constable; answer for, go bail for, bail out. Informal, run a tab, go on tick. Slang, touch, go broke.

2. lend, advance, finance, accommodate (with), loan, encumber; mortgage, hypothecate, pledge, pawn, borrow from Peter to pay Paul. Informal, hock.

3. (refuse to honor a debt) repudiate, stop payment, dishonor; charge or write off. See nonpayment.

Adjectives

1. indebted, liable, chargeable, answerable for, in debt, in embarrassed circumstances, in difficulties, encumbered, involved, plunged or deep in debt, short, up against it, in the red, in the hole, fast tied up; bankrupt, insolvent; minus, out of pocket. Informal, in hock. Slang, broke, on the cuff, in hock, head over heels in debt.

2. unpaid; unrequited, unrewarded; owing, due, past due, in arrears, outstanding; delinquent.

Phrases — lend your money and lose your friend.

Quotations — Home life ceases to be free and beautiful as soon as it is founded on borrowing and debt (Henrik Ibsen), He that dies pays all debts (Shakespeare).

Antonyms, see payment, credit.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [That which is owed]

Syn. liability, obligation, mortgage, debit, score, pecuniary due, duty, arrears, deficit, note, bill, accounts outstanding, accounts collectible, debt of honor, encumbrance, commitment, outstandings, claim, indebtedness, arrearage, deferred payment, national debt, contingent liability, floating debt, funded debt, future debt, account, overdraft, amount due, red ink*, IOU*, chit*; see also lien , mortgage .

Ant. credit*, asset, capital.

2. [Capital covered by funded obligations]

Syn. outstanding issues, mortgages, bonds, shares, stocks, notes, securities, checks, debentures, indentures; see also money 1 .

• in debt,

Syn. owing, liable, in the red, in arrears; see indebted .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

obligation, liability, bill, debit, arrears, deficit, pledge, due, burden, *red ink. ''The slavery of the free.''—Publilius Syrus. ''A trap which a man sets and baits himself, and then deliberately gets into.''—Josh Billings.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) noun 1. Something, such as money, owed by one person to another: arrearage, arrears, due, indebtedness, liability, obligation. See OBLIGATION, PAY. 2. A condition of owing something to another: arrearage, arrears, indebtedness, liability, obligation. See PAY.