Debt — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

the state of owing something (especially money)

money or goods or services owed by one person to another

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/dˌɪsᵻlˈɛktɹᵻfˌaɪ/

🇬🇧British English

/dˈɛt/

🇮🇳Indian English

/dˈɛt/

1 syllable Say it as /dˌɪsᵻlˈɛktɹᵻfˌaɪ/.

Examples

he is badly in debt

Parts of Speech

noun	the state of owing something (especially money) “he is badly in debt”
noun	money or goods or services owed by one person to another
noun	an obligation to pay or do something

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Schulden

der Zustand, etwas zu schulden (insbesondere Geld)

🇫🇷French

dette

l'état de devoir quelque chose (surtout de l'argent)

🇪🇸Spanish

deuda

el estado de deber algo (especialmente dinero)

🇮🇹Italian

debito

lo stato di dover qualcosa (soprattutto denaro)

🇳🇱Dutch

schuld

de staat waarin je iets verschuldigd bent (vooral geld)

🇵🇹Portuguese

dívida

o estado de dever algo (especialmente dinheiro)

🇷🇺Russian

долг

состояние задолженности (особенно денег)

India

🇮🇳Hindi

ऋृण

कुछ बकाया होने की स्थिति (विशेषकर पैसा)

🇧🇩Bengali

ঋণ

কিছু পাওনার অবস্থা (বিশেষত অর্থ)

🇮🇳Tamil

கடன்

ஏதாவது கடன்பட்டிருக்கும் நிலை (குறிப்பாக பணம்)

🇮🇳Telugu

అప్పు

ఏదైనా రుణపడి ఉన్న స్థితి (ముఖ్యంగా డబ్బు)

🇮🇳Marathi

कर्ज

काहीतरी देणे (विशेषत: पैसे)

🇮🇳Gujarati

દેવું

કંઈક દેવાની સ્થિતિ (ખાસ કરીને પૈસા)

🇮🇳Kannada

ಸಾಲ

ಏನನ್ನಾದರೂ ನೀಡಬೇಕಾದ ಸ್ಥಿತಿ (ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ಹಣ)

🇮🇳Malayalam

കടം

എന്തെങ്കിലും കടപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്ന അവസ്ഥ (പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് പണം)

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਕਰਜ਼ਾ

ਕੁਝ ਦੇਣ ਦੀ ਸਥਿਤੀ (ਖ਼ਾਸਕਰ ਪੈਸਾ)

🇵🇰Urdu

قرض

کچھ واجب الادا ہونے کی حالت (خاص طور پر رقم)

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

债务

欠某物（尤其是钱）的状态

🇯🇵Japanese

借金

何か（特にお金）を借りている状態

🇰🇷Korean

빚

빚진 상태(특히 돈)

🇻🇳Vietnamese

món nợ

tình trạng nợ một cái gì đó (đặc biệt là tiền)

🇹🇭Thai

หนี้

สถานะของหนี้บางสิ่งบางอย่าง (โดยเฉพาะเงิน)

🇮🇩Indonesian

utang

keadaan berhutang sesuatu (terutama uang)

🇵🇭Filipino

utang

ang estado ng pagkakautang ng isang bagay (lalo na ang pera)

🇲🇾Malay

hutang

keadaan terhutang sesuatu (terutama wang)

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

دَين

حالة الاستحقاق لشيء ما (خاصة المال)

🇮🇷Persian

بدهی

حالت بدهکاری (مخصوصاً پول)

🇹🇷Turkish

borç

bir şeye borçlu olma durumu (özellikle para)

🇮🇱Hebrew

חוֹב

המדינה של חייב משהו (במיוחד כסף)

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'debt'?

The primary meaning of 'debt' is 'the state of owing something (especially money)'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'debt' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'debt' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'debt' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'debt' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'debt' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'debt' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'debt' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'debt' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'debt' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'debt' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted