creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkre-di-tər 

-ˌtȯr

: one to whom a debt is owed

especially : a person to whom money or goods are due

Examples of creditor in a Sentence

She owes thousands of dollars to creditors.

Recent Examples on the Web

Confirm with the creditor or debt collector whether the debt has actually been settled, canceled or otherwise resolved. — Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026

At the time, Bellum owed over $1 million to creditors, with more debts looming. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026

Bubbles pop when liquidity tightens, meaning higher rates or stiffer regulation make money harder to borrow, and private creditors grow less willing to lend at any rate. — Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026

The docket shows that its largest creditor is Google, which the company owed more than $4 million. — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for creditor

• editor
• predator
• coeditor

Kids Definition

creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkred-ət-ər 

: a person to whom a debt is owed

Legal Definition

creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkre-də-tər, -ˌtȯr 

: a person to whom a debt is owed

especially : a person to whom money or goods are due compare debtor, obligor

— general creditor

: a creditor who is not secured by a lien or other security interest

called also unsecured creditor

— judgment creditor

: a creditor who has a money judgment entered against the debtor and may enforce the judgment (as by attachment or writ of execution)

— known creditor

: a creditor whose potential claim is known or should be known by a debtor and who is entitled to notice of a corporate dissolution or of a date at which claims will be barred (as in bankruptcy)

— lien creditor

: a creditor who is secured by a lien (as by attachment)

— secured creditor

: a creditor who has a security interest (as a mortgage)

— unsecured creditor

: general creditor in this entry