delinquency

noun

de·lin·quen·cy | \ di-ˈliŋ-kwən-sē

, -ˈlin-\

plural delinquencies

Definition of delinquency

1a : a delinquent act

b : conduct that is out of accord with accepted behavior or the law especially : juvenile delinquency

2 : a debt on which payment is overdue

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about delinquency

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Examples of delinquency in a Sentence

They tried to steer him away from delinquency by giving him a job in their store. She's been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor. a series of minor delinquencies a high rate of delinquency

Recent Examples on the Web

That can be a critical mistake, experts say, because delinquency can lead to default. — Cheryl Winokur Munk, WSJ, "The Biggest Mistakes With Student-Loan Repayments," 7 Oct. 2018 Credit-card delinquencies made up 2.54% of outstanding debt the first quarter, up from a low of 1.96% in 2015, according to UBS. — Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, "The economy is humming. So why do experts foresee a recession in 2020?," 11 June 2018 The emerging profile pointed to an increasingly common hybrid extremist who moves from acts of delinquency to sowing terror. — Elaine Ganley, The Seattle Times, "Gunman from Christmas market attack in France still at large," 12 Dec. 2018 Virginia also notifies a driver’s home state of the delinquency. — Holly Otterbein, Philly.com, "Police: Delco Rep. Margo Davidson fled car accident, drove and crashed state vehicle with suspended license," 14 Feb. 2018 Westlake Financial Services, which took over servicing of the loans, hopes to avoid bondholder losses by aggressively pursuing borrowers who are in the early stage of delinquency, the firm’s president said. — Ben Eisen, WSJ, "Investors Rev Up the Risk in Subprime Auto Deals," 1 Dec. 2018 In August 2014, a North Carolina mother was arrested and charged with contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile for allegedly helping her 16-year-old son try the fire challenge. — Allyson Chiu, The Seattle Times, "Internet ‘fire challenge’ leaves 12-year-old Detroit girl severely burned," 21 Aug. 2018 Consider how our system approaches youthful delinquency. — Vesla Mae Weaver, Vox, "The Kavanaugh hearings show who we afford a second chance and who we don’t," 28 Sep. 2018 As a result, I was charged not with leaving my son in the car, but with the misdemeanor of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. — Kim Brooks, Good Housekeeping, "I Left My Son Alone In the Car for 5 Minutes — And It Caused a Two-Year Legal Nightmare," 14 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'delinquency.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.