creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkre-di-tər 

-ˌtȯr

: one to whom a debt is owed

especially : a person to whom money or goods are due

Examples of creditor in a Sentence

She owes thousands of dollars to creditors.

Recent Examples on the Web

With these programs, a debt relief expert will negotiate with creditors on a borrower's behalf in an effort to reduce the amount owed, but that approach comes with tradeoffs. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 31 July 2026

To settle an estate, someone has to locate all of the deceased person’s assets, pay off their debts, deal with their taxes, talk to all heirs and creditors, file reports with the court, and finally distribute what is left. — Reid Kress Weisbord, Fortune, 31 July 2026

The settlements would see creditors give up as much as $475 million, thereby removing one of the main obstacles to restarting Chemaf, which reports have suggested will reopen in January. — Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 29 July 2026

Thus, if the balance of justice comes up even ― the parties' positions are exactly 50/50 in merit ― the courts will ever so slightly put their finger on the creditor's side so that the balance swings in the creditor's favor. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for creditor

• editor
• predator
• coeditor

Kids Definition

creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkred-ət-ər 

: a person to whom a debt is owed

Legal Definition

creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkre-də-tər, -ˌtȯr 

: a person to whom a debt is owed

especially : a person to whom money or goods are due compare debtor, obligor

— general creditor

: a creditor who is not secured by a lien or other security interest

called also unsecured creditor

— judgment creditor

: a creditor who has a money judgment entered against the debtor and may enforce the judgment (as by attachment or writ of execution)

— known creditor

: a creditor whose potential claim is known or should be known by a debtor and who is entitled to notice of a corporate dissolution or of a date at which claims will be barred (as in bankruptcy)

— lien creditor

: a creditor who is secured by a lien (as by attachment)

— secured creditor

: a creditor who has a security interest (as a mortgage)

— unsecured creditor

: general creditor in this entry