debtor

noun

debt·​or ˈde-tər 

1

: one guilty of neglect or violation of duty

2

: one who owes a debt

Examples of debtor in a Sentence

The debtor agrees to pay the debt over a three-year period.

Recent Examples on the Web

And the profits from that purchase will now be used to settle with FTX debtors and the US government. —Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 24 Sep. 2024

For debtor nations, debt-for-nature swaps provide financial relief by reducing the burden of foreign debt, freeing up resources for other developmental needs. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 26 July 2024

Once an effective date is reached, the debtors (FTX) will have 60 days to make distributions to a class of creditors known as the convenience class; in case of this distribution that class includes any individual customer claims under $50,000. —Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024

China has one advantage, according to the Bridgewater founder: Most of China’s bad debt is denominated in yuan, with debtors and creditors often both being Chinese citizens. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune Asia, 2 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

debtor

noun

debt·​or ˈdet-ər 

1

: sinner

2

: one that owes a debt

Legal Definition

debtor

noun

debt·​or

: a person who owes a debt see also bankrupt compare creditor, obligee, obligor

Note: The Bankruptcy Act of 1978 calls the person concerned in a bankruptcy case the “debtor” as opposed to the “bankrupt.”