creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkre-di-tər 

-ˌtȯr

: one to whom a debt is owed

especially : a person to whom money or goods are due

Examples of creditor in a Sentence

She owes thousands of dollars to creditors.

Recent Examples on the Web

The number of creditors may be as high as 25,000, the company stated in the filing. —Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 June 2024

The families later countered with their own proposal: either liquidate Jones' estate and give the proceeds to creditors, or pay them at least $8.5 million a year for 10 years — plus 50% of any income over $9 million per year. —CBS News, 3 June 2024

Sixth Street Partners, which gave Bed Bath a $375 million rescue loan and is its highest-ranking creditor, declined to comment. —Miles Weiss, Fortune, 9 May 2024

The creditors in search of a swift recovery have long since sold off their claims on the secondary market, says Sehgal, leaving behind a core group of creditors committed to maximizing their recovery. —Joel Khalili, WIRED, 8 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkred-ət-ər 

: a person to whom a debt is owed

Legal Definition

creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkre-də-tər, -ˌtȯr 

: a person to whom a debt is owed

especially : a person to whom money or goods are due compare debtor, obligor

— general creditor

: a creditor who is not secured by a lien or other security interest

called also unsecured creditor

— judgment creditor

: a creditor who has a money judgment entered against the debtor and may enforce the judgment (as by attachment or writ of execution)

— known creditor

: a creditor whose potential claim is known or should be known by a debtor and who is entitled to notice of a corporate dissolution or of a date at which claims will be barred (as in bankruptcy)

— lien creditor

: a creditor who is secured by a lien (as by attachment)

— secured creditor

: a creditor who has a security interest (as a mortgage)

— unsecured creditor

: general creditor in this entry