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 $38 trillion figure refers to gross national debt—the cumulative total of all federal borrowing, including debt held by government accounts and the public.
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Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
Annual interest payments on the national debt are greater than spending for our national defense.
—Jim Nowlan, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
The political malaise risks metastasizing into an economic crisis because the quarreling political parties cannot agree on a way forward, such as passing a budget and addressing the country's alarming budget deficit and mounting national debt.
—John Toher, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
The impact from the deficit was felt in interest paid on the $38 trillion national debt.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2025
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Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
Annual interest payments on the national debt are greater than spending for our national defense.
—Jim Nowlan, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
The political malaise risks metastasizing into an economic crisis because the quarreling political parties cannot agree on a way forward, such as passing a budget and addressing the country's alarming budget deficit and mounting national debt.
—John Toher, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
The impact from the deficit was felt in interest paid on the $38 trillion national debt.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 16 Oct. 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 27 Oct. 2025.
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