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

The company owners are now banks and private equity groups who were creditors. —David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 3 July 2024

Its list of unsecured creditors runs the gamut of major studios, including Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, BBC Studios Americas, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. and MGM. —Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2024

Despite its prime location and a history dating to 1880, the sales process has been caught up in Signa’s complex creditor entanglements. —Beth Greenfield, Fortune Europe, 1 July 2024

This is the company’s third attempt to settle the lawsuits via a bankruptcy filing — in which claimants become creditors — of its subsidiary LTL Management. —Bruce Gil, Quartz, 1 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

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