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 charging orders required Campbell to turn over distributions to the judgment creditor and to advise his creditors that distributions were being there. —Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026

The credit counselor also works with your creditors to reduce the interest rates on your accounts, often drastically, and certain fees may also be waived. —Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026

Vanke stated during online creditor meetings earlier this month that all notes would be treated on an equal footing, though no specific details were provided, people familiar with the matter said. —Bloomberg News, Bloomberg, 28 Jan. 2026

The country had been the first African nation to default on its borrowing during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is restructuring loans worth some $13 billion — including debts to Chinese creditors which make up its biggest obligations. —Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 28 Jan. 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