debtor

noun

debt·​or ˈde-tər 

1

: one guilty of neglect or violation of duty

2

: one who owes a debt

Examples of debtor in a Sentence

The debtor agrees to pay the debt over a three-year period.

Recent Examples on the Web

Not everyone is a debtor, hoping for lower interest rates on loans. —William Dunkelberg, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025

John Greenway, Managing Partner, founded the firm in 2017 to address abusive creditor behavior and the general lack of support for debtors, a philosophy that the company still follows. —Jason Phillips, USA Today, 29 Aug. 2025

For a big debtor like the United States—the gross U.S. debt is now nearly $37 trillion, roughly as large as that of all the other major advanced economies combined—these higher rates can really hurt. —Kenneth S. Rogoff, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025

The nonprofit also buys from for-profits, which buy the debt at a reduced price and then contact debtors in an attempt to negotiate payments. —Beth Warren, The Tennessean, 15 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for debtor

• better
• bettor
• fetter
• getter
• letter
• netter
• petar
• petter
• rhetor
• setter
• sweater
• tetter

Kids Definition

debtor

noun

debt·​or ˈdet-ər 

1

: sinner

2

: one that owes a debt

Legal Definition

debtor

noun

debt·​or

: a person who owes a debt see also bankrupt compare creditor, obligee, obligor

Note: The Bankruptcy Act of 1978 calls the person concerned in a bankruptcy case the “debtor” as opposed to the “bankrupt.”