DEBTS Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

debts

noun

plural of debt

as in obligations

something (as money) which is owed he filed for bankruptcy when his debts exceeded his assets

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in crimes

a breaking of a moral or legal code forgive us our debts

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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.

Recent Examples of debts Planning Minister Bruno Moretti said the auction will cover debts of up to 10,000 reais ($2,000). — Reuters, NBC news, 26 Sep. 2026 The state treasurer acts as California’s chief banker, in charge of investing its taxpayer money and managing debts, spending and borrowing. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026 The Education Department is still reporting the debts of more than 300,000 student loan borrowers, according to an estimate by PPSL. — Annie Nova, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026 The head of the Inter-American Development Bank said Tuesday the lender is weighing a return to Venezuela after nearly a decade away, but did not say whether Caracas’ unpaid debts would be forgiven. — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2026 The debt avalanche method prioritizes paying off debts with the highest interest rates first to save money. — Rebecca Safier, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026 But war debts, inflation and a temporary stop to profitable trade with the enormous British Empire left Americans scrambling to get by in the 1780s. — Sandra Slater, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026 Debt settlement may also be an option, particularly for borrowers who are facing more serious financial hardship and can't realistically repay their unsecured debts in full. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 The story tracks a Chinese chef who travels to the Middle East to run an eatery to clear family debts, only for his establishment to turn into a vital haven for civilians and orphans after regional armed conflict erupts. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for debts

Noun

There are five parties at play here, each with its own contracts, security posture, regulatory obligations and power to say no.

— Shawn Yu, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
The company plans to spend $518 billion on cloud computing and infrastructure obligations in coming year, and said that nearly a quarter of its revenue last year came from two customers.

— Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of obligations

Noun

The administration has repeated claims of targeting immigrants with criminal histories, but recent data suggests more than half of those arrested in July had not been convicted of any crimes and were not facing any criminal charges.

— Heather Hollingsworth, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026
Officers from the Investigative Psychology Unit, which specializes in complex or serial violent crimes, are part of the investigation.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of crimes

Noun

Traditional due diligence can miss back-office technology impacts—liabilities reducing valuation (technical debt, vendor lock-in and cybersecurity exposure) or assets increasing it (scalable platforms and modernized pipelines).

— Tipu Usha Vaithee Swaran, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, Stallone endured an avalanche of rejections from agents who felt his slurry speech and asymmetrical mouth were liabilities — the very traits, of course, that would mark him as an original in a few short years.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of liabilities

Noun

While some newly prominent groups (such as those who later became known as Quakers) emphasized love, fellowship and justice, some members of other sects (like the Presbyterians) created new fears, new sins, new tests and new punishments.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Kaporos is intended to symbolize the transfer of one’s sins to a chicken.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of sins

Noun

Jury finds Facebook liable for over 43 million violations of consumer protection law with potential penalties of more than $200 billion.

— Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2026
The callers claim that their victims have warrants out for their arrest for missing jury duty or other violations and pressure them to deposit funds in bitcoin ATMs, officials said.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of violations

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debts

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“Debts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debts. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of debts

noun

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