debited; debiting; debits
: to enter upon the debit side of an account : charge with a debit
1
a
: a record of an indebtedness
specifically
: an entry on the left-hand side of an account constituting an addition to an expense or asset account or a deduction from a revenue, net worth, or liability account
b
: the sum of the items entered as debits
2
: a charge against a bank deposit account
3
Synonyms
Examples of debit in a Sentence
Verb
The bank mistakenly debited my account $200!
Your account will automatically be debited for the amount of your insurance bill every month.
Noun
I forgot to enter some of the debits in my bank account register.
The account's credits were added and the debits subtracted.
a $30 debit for groceries
Recent Examples on the Web
Alexandre Gonthier, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Beginning Thursday, Bank of America credit and debit cardholders who are also part of the Starbucks Rewards loyalty program will get 2% cash back and one additional star for every $2 spent on orders through the coffee chain’s app.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 15 Feb. 2024
When this happens, banks can charge a fee when a customer attempts to withdraw or debit their account more than their available funds.
—Ken Sweet, Fortune, 25 Jan. 2024
Additionally, fiat players can make their deposits via eCheck, MoneyGram, money orders, bank transfers, and debit/credit cards.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2024
But what began as a niche service expanded into an enormous profit center for banks with the proliferation of debit cards, which has customers debiting their bank accounts for small and large amounts each day, often multiple times.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 17 Jan. 2024
What started as a niche service became a massive profit center for the banks after the proliferation of debit cards that caused customers to debit their bank accounts for small and large amounts of money multiple times a day.
—Ken Sweet, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2024
But despite the slight uptick in gig work, BofA data shows their credit and debit spending growth is still slower than that of baby boomers.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2023
Were your payments being automatically debited from your checking account?
—Janet Novack, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
All trucks will accept cash and debit or credit cards.
—Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
The restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and will be cashless, accepting only credit, debit and contactless payments.
—The Arizona Republic, 31 Mar. 2024
The Justice Department argues that the policy limits users’ payment options and traps them within the Apple Wallet, the iPhone app that lets users load their debit and credit cards onto their devices.
—J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Pulaski National Historic Site in Georgia to ask how to enter the park without a debit or credit card and was told to go to a Walmart or grocery store to buy a gift card.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Fans with tickets to Saturday's event will receive an automatic refund to be processed back to the debit/credit card used for purchase.
—Todd Rosiak, Journal Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024
Combined, credit, debit and cash are by far the dominant payment methods in the United States.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2023
Your home is yours, free and clear, and that hefty monthly debit can go toward fun, family, and living life to the fullest.
—Wes Moss, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
The effect of this means merchants would no longer have a valid ACH number to debit the consumer’s bank account, so that person might accidentally bounce payments and lose access to critical services.
—Alexandre Gonthier, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024
Beginning Thursday, Bank of America credit and debit cardholders who are also part of the Starbucks Rewards loyalty program will get 2% cash back and one additional star for every $2 spent on orders through the coffee chain’s app.
—Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 15 Feb. 2024
When this happens, banks can charge a fee when a customer attempts to withdraw or debit their account more than their available funds.
—Ken Sweet, Fortune, 25 Jan. 2024
Additionally, fiat players can make their deposits via eCheck, MoneyGram, money orders, bank transfers, and debit/credit cards.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2024
But what began as a niche service expanded into an enormous profit center for banks with the proliferation of debit cards, which has customers debiting their bank accounts for small and large amounts each day, often multiple times.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 17 Jan. 2024
What started as a niche service became a massive profit center for the banks after the proliferation of debit cards that caused customers to debit their bank accounts for small and large amounts of money multiple times a day.
—Ken Sweet, Fortune, 17 Jan. 2024
But despite the slight uptick in gig work, BofA data shows their credit and debit spending growth is still slower than that of baby boomers.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2023
Were your payments being automatically debited from your checking account?
—Janet Novack, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
Noun
Have cash handy Some payment terminals for swiping your debit or credit card use the same mobile networks as your phone.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
All trucks will accept cash and debit or credit cards.
—Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 2 Apr. 2024
The restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and will be cashless, accepting only credit, debit and contactless payments.
—The Arizona Republic, 31 Mar. 2024
The Justice Department argues that the policy limits users’ payment options and traps them within the Apple Wallet, the iPhone app that lets users load their debit and credit cards onto their devices.
—J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 27 Mar. 2024
Pulaski National Historic Site in Georgia to ask how to enter the park without a debit or credit card and was told to go to a Walmart or grocery store to buy a gift card.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Fans with tickets to Saturday's event will receive an automatic refund to be processed back to the debit/credit card used for purchase.
—Todd Rosiak, Journal Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2024
Combined, credit, debit and cash are by far the dominant payment methods in the United States.
—Shira Ovide, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2023
Your home is yours, free and clear, and that hefty monthly debit can go toward fun, family, and living life to the fullest.
—Wes Moss, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'debit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing debit
Dictionary Entries Near debit
Cite this Entry
“Debit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debit. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
debit
1 of 2 verb
deb·it
ˈdeb-ət 
: to enter as a debit : charge with or as a debt
debit
2 of 2 noun
: an entry in an account representing an amount paid out or owed
More from Merriam-Webster on debit
Nglish: Translation of debit for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of debit for Arabic Speakers
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