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

By limiting the role of government as spender, debtor, employer, and regulator, Taiwan has created an economy that punches above its weight. —Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2024

He was presumed guilty by the FTX debtor estate and its lawyers. —Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 13 Sep. 2024

Suppose that a creditor serves a notice of lien on a bank for the debtor's accounts, but before the bank honors the levy, the debtor transfers the money to yet another bank to repay a loan. —Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

Initiates a personal bankruptcy proceeding in which the justice or judge is a debtor. —Arizona Republic, The Arizona Republic, 10 Sep. 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.”