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
Understanding the absurdity of one trillion anything makes the $38 trillion US national debt that economists have been blathering on about for years look almost sensible.
—
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
The Congressional Budget Office projects the total national debt will exceed $38 trillion by 2029, growing roughly $7 trillion a year.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
The national debt is sustainable.
—Danish Manzoor Bhat, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Annual interest payments on the national debt are greater than spending for our national defense.
—Jim Nowlan, Mercury News, 23 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for national debt
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
The Congressional Budget Office projects the total national debt will exceed $38 trillion by 2029, growing roughly $7 trillion a year.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 28 Oct. 2025
The national debt is sustainable.
—Danish Manzoor Bhat, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Annual interest payments on the national debt are greater than spending for our national defense.
—Jim Nowlan, Mercury News, 23 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 10 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share