plural delinquents
: a young person who regularly does illegal or immoral things : juvenile delinquent
a group of violent delinquents
1
: doing things that are illegal or immoral
a school for delinquent children
His delinquent behavior could lead to more serious problems.
2
US
a
: not paid at the required or expected time
Her credit card account was delinquent. [=she had not made the payments that were due on her credit card account]
The town is trying to collect delinquent taxes.
b
: failing to pay an amount of money that is owed
people who are delinquent in their loan payments [=people who have not been paying back their loans when they said they would]
delinquent borrowers
Cite this Entry
“Delinquent.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/delinquent. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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