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indebted

adjective
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in·​debt·​ed | \ in-ˈde-təd How to pronounce indebted (audio) \

Definition of indebted

1 : owing gratitude or recognition to another : beholden
2 : owing money
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Synonyms for indebted

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Examples of indebted in a Sentence

thereafter forever felt indebted to the producer for giving her her lucky break
Recent Examples on the Web Heavily indebted firms are less likely to invest in developing new export markets. — Jill Ward, Bloomberg.com, "No-Deal Brexit Threat Looms Over Pandemic-Ravaged U.K.," 1 June 2020 Wednesday’s Chapter 11 filing, which could see the heavily indebted company sold to a New York investment group, comes just two weeks after news that Sur La Table had laid off roughly a fifth of its corporate staff. — oregonlive, "Sur La Table declares bankruptcy, will close almost half its stores," 9 July 2020 In recent weeks, the highly indebted Lebanon defaulted for the first time on its sovereign debt and began talks with the International Monetary Fund for assistance while a liquidity crunch deepened. — Washington Post, "Lebanese major retailers to shut down amid economic crisis," 2 July 2020 Barnes also paints the suspect as a desperate, indebted gambler. — EW.com, "Perry Mason recap: Haunted by wartime horrors, Mason makes a gruesome discovery," 29 June 2020 Dozens of heavily indebted American companies were forced to file for bankruptcy protection. — Michael Braga, USA TODAY, "With bankruptcies surging, 2020 may become one of the busiest years for Chapter 11 filings since the Great Recession," 29 June 2020 We are all indebted to the courageous witnesses among us. — Emily Bernard, The New Yorker, "The Purpose of a House," 25 June 2020 By independent estimates, African countries are substantially indebted to China. — Laura He, CNN, "China is promising to write off some loans to Africa. It may just be a drop in the ocean," 19 June 2020 Tennessee still will be one of the least indebted states in the country. — Tyler Arnold, Washington Examiner, "Tennessee House passes budget with reduced funding after tense debate," 18 June 2020

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

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First Known Use of indebted

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for indebted

Middle English indetted, from Anglo-French endetté, past participle of endetter to run into debt, from en- + dette debt

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Time Traveler for indebted

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The first known use of indebted was in the 13th century

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Statistics for indebted

Last Updated

3 Aug 2020

Cite this Entry

“Indebted.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/indebted. Accessed 6 Aug. 2020.

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More Definitions for indebted

indebted

adjective
How to pronounce indebted (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of indebted

: owing something (such as money or thanks) to someone or something : in debt

See the full definition for indebted in the English Language Learners Dictionary

indebted

adjective
in·​debt·​ed | \ in-ˈde-təd How to pronounce indebted (audio) \

Kids Definition of indebted

: being in debt : owing something I'm indebted to you for your kindness.

Other Words from indebted

indebtedness noun

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More from Merriam-Webster on indebted

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for indebted

Spanish Central: Translation of indebted

Nglish: Translation of indebted for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of indebted for Arabic Speakers

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