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debt to society

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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.

Word by Word Definitions

debt play

  1. : sin, trespass

  2. : something owed : obligation

  3. : a state of being under obligation to pay or repay someone or something in return for something received : a state of owing

See the full definition of debt
society play

  1. : companionship or association with one's fellows : friendly or intimate intercourse : company

  2. : a voluntary association of individuals for common ends

  3. : an enduring and cooperating social group whose members have developed organized patterns of relationships through interaction with one another

  1. : of, relating to, or typical of fashionable society

See the full definition of society

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to treat with excessive attention

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