delinquency

noun

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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 Phrases Containing delinquency Learn More About delinquency

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 In the same quarter, Gen X presented a 1.53% auto loan delinquency rate, with baby boomers landing even lower at 0.93%. — Colin Lodewick, Fortune, 7 June 2022 The Utah Bar Foundation report notes that the average delinquency leading to eviction was $640 in 2019. — Robert Gehrke, The Salt Lake Tribune, 25 May 2022 In January, all states logged year-over-year declines in their overall delinquency rate. — Brenda Richardson, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2022 At that time, the total delinquency was $11.9 million, including surcharges and penalties, but the amount due has since dropped to close to $10.1 million because of additional payments made since then. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2022 By comparison, the delinquency rate for direct federal student loans was about 5.3% as of February 2020. — Megan Leonhardt, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2022 The increases were fairly small: Charge-offs rose from 0.9% to 0.95% of loans, and delinquency was up from 0.8% to 0.82%. — Telis Demos, WSJ, 30 Dec. 2021 Police arrested a man for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, interference with custody and underage possession of alcohol following a traffic stop at 11:53 a.m. April 3. — Brian Lisik, cleveland, 10 May 2022 James Khuri was charged with a misdemeanor for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. — CBS News, 28 Apr. 2022 See More

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.