bad debt

noun

: loans that will not be repaid
banks with millions of dollars of bad debt

Examples of bad debt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The equipment makers like Cisco were left holding bad debt while the startups went bust. Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2025 Hospitals reporting spending $42 million less on charity care and had $61 million less in bad debt from 2019 to 2021. Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 21 Sep. 2025 During the same period, bad debt rose about 46%. Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 6 Sep. 2025 For example, taking out a mortgage for a home or student loans for your education are typically advantageous as an investment, while most credit card debt and personal loans for discretionary spending are considered bad debt. Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 25 July 2025 University Health spends about $75 million annually on free care, including price concessions and bad debt. Suzanne King, Kansas City Star, 11 July 2025 This can help businesses close more deals confidently without facing cash flow challenges or bad debt. Ashish Srimal, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024 This increase is due to higher inventory costs and bad debt in the digital advertising segment. Quartz Bot, Quartz, 7 Nov. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Bad debt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bad%20debt. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

Legal Definition

bad debt

see debt

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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