SINCE 1828
dictionary
thesaurus
view recents

debt to society

idiom
Save Word

Definition of debt to society

—used in phrases such as pay your debt to society to refer to being punished for committing a crime After 10 years in prison, he has paid his debt to society and is a free man.

Learn More About debt to society

Dictionary Entries Near debt to society

debt service

debt to society

debubblizer

See More Nearby Entries 

Statistics for debt to society

Cite this Entry

“Debt to society.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debt%20to%20society. Accessed 2 Dec. 2021.

Style: MLA
MLACheck Mark Icon ChicagoCheck Mark Icon APACheck Mark Icon Merriam-WebsterCheck Mark Icon

WORD OF THE DAY

smarmy

Listen to the pronunciation of smarmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Name that Thing: Flower Edition

  • shrubs having opposite leaves and showy clusters of usually sterile white pink or bluish flowers
  • Name that flower
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games