creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkre-di-tər How to pronounce creditor (audio)
-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 The creditors, some of them salty New Yorkers, responded predictably. Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 12 Mar. 2024 In the 1990s, foreign nations in Africa were swimming in debt owed to the U.S. and other creditors, which spurred nations such as the U.S. to back away from delivering loans to nations that likely would not pay them back and instead deliver aid in the form of grants. Emma Colton, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2024 This notice asserts their authority to collect any proceeds from the sale of personal property prior to other creditors. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 The crisis subsequently spread, with dozens of major developers also failing to repay creditors. Laura He, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 The big takeaway: Trump is likely sitting on a huge pile of cash—but not enough to pay off his legal creditors with a simple wire transfer. Kyle Mullins, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 More than half of that debt is owed to foreign creditors, with the worsening living conditions in the country leading to widespread protests and the ousting of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022. Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 28 Feb. 2024 The development will likely inject a sense of urgency into Country Garden, whose liquidity crisis shook Chinese financial markets in recent months, to expedite progress on delivering a debt overhaul blueprint to creditors. Lulu Yilun Chen, Fortune Asia, 28 Feb. 2024 By that point, more than a hundred creditors had lined up. Matt Hamilton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'creditor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of creditor was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near creditor

Cite this Entry

“Creditor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/creditor. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

creditor

noun
cred·​i·​tor ˈkred-ət-ər How to pronounce creditor (audio)
: a person to whom a debt is owed

Legal Definition

creditor

noun
cred·​i·​tor ˈkre-də-tər, -ˌtȯr How to pronounce creditor (audio)
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on creditor

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