debtor

noun

debt·​or ˈde-tər How to pronounce debtor (audio)
1
: one guilty of neglect or violation of duty
2
: one who owes a debt

Examples of debtor in a Sentence

The debtor agrees to pay the debt over a three-year period.
Recent Examples on the Web Filing for bankruptcy triggers an automatic pause on efforts to collect from the debtor. Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2024 Targeting for-profit colleges and lenders, Chopra said he was troubled by an increasingly corporate higher-education system that was turning millions of students into debtors. Noam Levey, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 However, a debtor may then claim an exemption for property which is protected by either the Bankruptcy Code or the law of the state where the debtor is resident at the commencement of the bankruptcy case. Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024 Epner also noted that bankruptcy requires a debtor to be honest at the risk of criminal punishment. Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2024 The drug ring's muscle, Luis Arturo Magana-Ramirez, who lived in Fife, Washington, often chatted about plans to abduct, harm or kill debtors as agents monitored the calls or texts, according to Magana-Ramirez's plea agreement. Beth Warren, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2024 But Argentina is already the International Monetary Fund’s biggest debtor, owing the fund some $31.1 billion as of this month. Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 12 Dec. 2023 The freedom of creditors in a bankruptcy to lodge objections to the debtor’s plan says nothing about the legitimacy of those complaints or the likelihood of their succeeding. Joel Khalili, WIRED, 2 Feb. 2024 Although the current percentage of people who carry credit card debt is similar to the share seen prior to the pandemic, today’s debtors have a bigger hurdle: as of November 2023, the average interest rate for all credit card accounts was 21.5% vs. 14.5% two years ago. Jill Schlesinger, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'debtor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of debtor was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near debtor

Cite this Entry

“Debtor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debtor. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

debtor

noun
debt·​or ˈdet-ər How to pronounce debtor (audio)
1
: sinner
2
: one that owes a debt

Legal Definition

debtor

noun
debt·​or
: a person who owes a debt see also bankrupt compare creditor, obligee, obligor

Note: The Bankruptcy Act of 1978 calls the person concerned in a bankruptcy case the “debtor” as opposed to the “bankrupt.”

More from Merriam-Webster on debtor

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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