creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkre-di-tər 

-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

Federal student loan borrowers will see their default payments reported to creditors once again starting in May, and average salaries for some of the most common college majors like social science are declining, according to recent reports. —Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Apr. 2025

As anyone who’s ever owned a business knows, creditors get paid before owners. —Moneyshow, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025

Net transfer balance The net amount a club is owed from, or owes to, other clubs in respect of outstanding transfer fee payments. See also: ‘Transfer creditors/payables’ and ‘Transfer debtors/receivables’. —Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025

But this new entity will operate independently of Ruiz’s company, with a new chief executive officer chosen by one of MSP Recovery’s creditors. —Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for creditor

• editor
• predator
• coeditor

Kids Definition

creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkred-ət-ər 

: a person to whom a debt is owed

Legal Definition

creditor

noun

cred·​i·​tor ˈkre-də-tər, -ˌtȯr 

: 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