national debt
noun
: the total amount of money that the government of a country owes to companies, countries, etc.
Examples of national debt in a Sentence
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The Congressional Budget Office has said the legislation will add $2.4 trillion to the U.S. national debt, a forecast that contributed to a falling out between Trump and his previous close confidant Elon Musk.
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James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Aug. 2025
The national debt surpassed $37 trillion, years sooner than pre-pandemic projections.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2025
That said, $25 billion still equates to less than 0.07% of the national debt at the time of writing.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2025
Even though Trump’s historically high tariffs were designed to revive American manufacturing and to help chip away at the national debt, the president sounds open to using tariffs for another purpose: rebate checks.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for national debt
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James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Aug. 2025
The national debt surpassed $37 trillion, years sooner than pre-pandemic projections.
—Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2025
That said, $25 billion still equates to less than 0.07% of the national debt at the time of writing.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2025
Even though Trump’s historically high tariffs were designed to revive American manufacturing and to help chip away at the national debt, the president sounds open to using tariffs for another purpose: rebate checks.
—Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for national debt
Cite this Entry
“National debt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/national%20debt. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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