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

Depending on the circumstances and the state's laws, creditors may have broader rights to pursue repayment from marital assets or from the surviving spouse. —Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 18 June 2026

The tech investment firm’s shares took a hit again on Wednesday and Thursday, after Bloomberg reported that SoftBank’s talks with creditors to raise $6 billion in margin loans backed by its existing stake in OpenAI had stalled. —Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026

Under a plan, counseling agencies negotiate directly with creditors to lower interest rates and waive fees. —Ali Besharat, The Conversation, 4 June 2026

Debt settlement Debt settlement companies work with creditors to reduce balances on unsecured debts, such as credit card bills and medical expenses. —John Csiszar, CNBC, 2 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for creditor

• editor
• predator
• coeditor

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