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
Recent Examples on the Web
The national debt was also surging.
—
Ian King, CNBC, 26 Nov. 2025
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), the nonpartisan budget watchdog that regularly crunches numbers on policy impacts on the $38 trillion national debt, included $50 billion as one estimate in a series of projections published in early November.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2025
The national debt recently surpassed $38 trillion, but America’s debt crisis isn’t limited to the federal government.
—Mariana Trujillo, Boston Herald, 23 Nov. 2025
After taking office last month, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi promised to boost government spending despite concerns that such moves will delay progress on trimming Japan's national debt, which is about triple the size of its economy.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Nov. 2025
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Ian King, CNBC, 26 Nov. 2025
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), the nonpartisan budget watchdog that regularly crunches numbers on policy impacts on the $38 trillion national debt, included $50 billion as one estimate in a series of projections published in early November.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2025
The national debt recently surpassed $38 trillion, but America’s debt crisis isn’t limited to the federal government.
—Mariana Trujillo, Boston Herald, 23 Nov. 2025
After taking office last month, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi promised to boost government spending despite concerns that such moves will delay progress on trimming Japan's national debt, which is about triple the size of its economy.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Nov. 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 2 Dec. 2025.
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