arrear

noun

ar·​rear ə-ˈrir 

1

: the state of being behind in the discharge of obligations

—usually used in plural

They were in arrears with the rent. [=they had failed to pay the rent when it was due]

2

a

: an unfinished duty

—usually used in plural

arrears of work that have piled up

b

: an unpaid and overdue debt

—usually used in plural

paying off the arrears of the past several months

Synonyms

• arrearage
• debt
• indebtedness
• liability
• liabilities
• obligation
• score

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The park, which is jointly owned by the Hong Kong government and Walt Disney, with the government holding a narrow majority, reports a financial year to the end of September – and does so more than seven months in arrears. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 15 May 2023

The total arrears for those in the program who missed payments is approximately $100,000. —Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 19 Apr. 2023

The resulting loss of foot traffic, coupled with Covid restrictions, led Jeanetth Hutchinson to close her long-running Far Rockaway flower shop at the start of the year, to settle about $19,000 in rent arrears. —Stefanos Chen, New York Times, 8 May 2023

All that has contributed to more than 4 million customers across the Golden State with accounts in arrears. —Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 May 2023

The House Republican proposal, dubbed the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023, would raise the borrowing limit into next year - either until the government incurs another $1.5 trillion in arrears, or through the end of March 2024, whichever occurs first. —John Wagner, Anchorage Daily News, 1 May 2023

The Republican proposal, dubbed the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023, would raise the borrowing limit into next year — either until the government incurs another $1.5 trillion in arrears, or through the end of March 2024, whichever occurs first. —Leigh Ann Caldwell, Washington Post, 26 Apr. 2023

By 130 mph, which arrives in 17.0 seconds flat, the xDrive is about a second in arrears of its rear-drive sibling. —Csaba Csere, Car and Driver, 20 Mar. 2023

The total amount of rent in arrears is sixty three thousand one hundred sixty five and 31/100 dollars ($63,165.31). —Amanda Milkovits, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Mar. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Middle English, in plural arrers, arrears "balance due, unpaid debt," borrowed from Anglo-French arere, arrere (also sometimes in plural) "state of being behind in payment," noun derivative of arere, ariere, adverb, "back, backward, behind" (also continental Old French), going back to Vulgar Latin *ad retrō, from Latin ad "to, toward" + retrō "toward the rear, in the rear, behind" — more at at entry 1, retro-

First Known Use

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Legal Definition

arrear

noun

ar·​rear ə-ˈrir 

1

a

: the condition of being behind in one's duties or especially financial obligations

—usually used in pl.

in arrears with the rent

b

: the condition of being due at the end of a term rather than the beginning

—usually used in pl.

mortgage payments are made in arrears

2

: an unpaid and overdue debt

—usually used in pl.

paying off the arrears of the previous owners