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 president has also promised to use tariff revenue to pay down the ballooning national debt, currently worth about $38 trillion.
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Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 15 Dec. 2025
If tariff revenue is large enough to provide Americans with rebate checks while also addressing the national debt, then this would address a primary concern for many members of Congress.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Dec. 2025
This aligned with the recent estimate from the Congressional Budget Office that savings on the national debt had shrunk by $1 trillion between August and November, as trade deals resulted in a lower and lower effective tariff rate.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 4 Dec. 2025
The sizable disparity has led economists—when such proposals were previously made—to question whether tariffs could come close to offsetting the fiscal impacts of abolishing income tax while still allowing the government to pare down the national debt.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
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Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 15 Dec. 2025
If tariff revenue is large enough to provide Americans with rebate checks while also addressing the national debt, then this would address a primary concern for many members of Congress.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 Dec. 2025
This aligned with the recent estimate from the Congressional Budget Office that savings on the national debt had shrunk by $1 trillion between August and November, as trade deals resulted in a lower and lower effective tariff rate.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 4 Dec. 2025
The sizable disparity has led economists—when such proposals were previously made—to question whether tariffs could come close to offsetting the fiscal impacts of abolishing income tax while still allowing the government to pare down the national debt.
—Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 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 20 Dec. 2025.
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