Definition of delinquent
: a usually young person who regularly performs illegal or immoral acts
Explore M-W
Examples of delinquent in a Sentence
a group of violent delinquents
Recent Examples of delinquent from the Web
-
Appointed and later elected commonwealth’s attorney in 1956, Palmore sought and won the death penalty for an 18-year-old delinquent from Chicago who had shot a Henderson police officer.
-
Iron Ambition: My Life with Cus D’Amato tells the story of Tyson’s manager, trainer and father figure who turned Tyson from Brooklyn street thug and juvenile delinquent into boxing’s youngest heavyweight champion at 20.
-
The fourth roommate, the delinquent, then started chatting about dinner plans and commenting on the baby.
-
Going back now would send a bad message to delinquents and criminals that there can be impunity.
-
Currently 37,975 of the 550,000 residential and commercial properties in the county are delinquent on taxes, officials said.
-
The newswire notes that the teen will be sent to a secure, residential treatment program for juvenile delinquents and, upon her release, will face additional supervision and programs until age 19, followed by two more years of probation.
-
Stewart is also counting on getting $1 million from two new private contractors; one will pursue tax delinquents, and the other will verify that medium-sized and large business are adequately assessed for their business property.
-
Mike Tyson was a chubby 13-year-old juvenile delinquent in 1979 when boxing svengali Cus D’Amato turned him into a lightning-fast destroyer in the ring.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'delinquent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of delinquent
see 2delinquent
Other Psychology Terms
delinquent
Definition of delinquent
1 : offending by neglect or violation of duty or of law … were clearly delinquent in not immediately alerting Western Europe to the accident … — Richard Wilson
2 : being overdue in payment a delinquent charge account … efforts to crack down on parents delinquent in child-support payments … — Todd S. Purdum
3 : of, relating to, or characteristic of people who regularly perform illegal or immoral acts : marked by delinquency (see delinquency 1b) delinquent behavior
delinquently
adverbExamples of delinquent in a Sentence
a school for delinquent children
His delinquent behavior could lead to more serious problems.
The town is trying to collect delinquent taxes.
Recent Examples of delinquent from the Web
-
Ireland's tax website did not include him among a list of delinquent taxpayers for 2015, 2016 and the first quarter of 2017.
-
Regulators at the SEC have accused ITT's top brass of making secret payments on delinquent accounts to delay defaults instead of disclosing the tens of millions of dollars in impending losses to investors.
-
The story involves a blind woman in a retirement home, a delinquent teen performing community service and diaries that hold a dark secret.
-
Among the subject areas in which Trump has come off like a delinquent third-grade student has been diplomatic relations.
-
Several consumers who participated in the rent-to-own program were evicted for delinquent payment in small claims court, according to court documents.
-
Together, Day and Terra Nativa, LLP owed more than $62,000 in delinquent property taxes dating back to 2015.
-
From 2000 to 2014, Coontz also is accused of filing delinquent U.S. income tax returns with the IRS.
-
The second payments — the one that will face additional penalties in July — were due on February 1 but delinquent after April 10.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'delinquent.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of delinquent
Latin delinquent-, delinquens, present participle of delinquere to fail, offend, from de- + linquere to leave — more at loan
Other Psychology Terms
DELINQUENT Defined for English Language Learners
delinquent
playDefinition of delinquent for English Language Learners
-
: a young person who regularly does illegal or immoral things
delinquent
Definition of delinquent for English Language Learners
-
: doing things that are illegal or immoral
-
: not paid at the required or expected time
-
: failing to pay an amount of money that is owed
DELINQUENT Defined for Kids
delinquent
playDefinition of delinquent for Students
: a usually young person who is guilty of improper or illegal behavior
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of delinquent
: a transgressor against duty or the law especially in a degree not constituting crime; specifically : juvenile delinquent
delinquent
Medical Definition of delinquent
1: offending by neglect or violation of duty or of law
2: of, relating to, or characteristic of delinquents : marked by delinquency
delinquently
adverbLaw Dictionary
Legal Definition of delinquent
: a delinquent person; especially : juvenile delinquent
delinquent
Legal Definition of delinquent
1a : offending by neglect or violation of duty or law delinquent acts b : characterized by juvenile delinquency delinquent youth
2 : being overdue in payment delinquent taxes was delinquent in his child support payments
Origin and Etymology of delinquent
Latin delinquent-, delinquens, present participle of delinquere to commit (an offense), err
Learn More about delinquent
-
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for delinquent Spanish Central: Translation of delinquent Nglish: Translation of delinquent for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of delinquent for Arabic speakers
Seen and Heard
What made you want to look up delinquent? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Writing? Check your grammar now!