delinquency
noun
de·lin·quen·cy
di-ˈliŋ-kwən-sē 
-ˈlin-
plural delinquencies
1
a
: a delinquent act
b
: conduct that is out of accord with accepted behavior or the law
especially
: juvenile delinquency
2
: a debt on which payment is overdue
Examples of delinquency in a Sentence
They tried to steer him away from delinquency by giving him a job in their store.
She's been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
a series of minor delinquencies
a high rate of delinquency
Recent Examples on the Web
He would be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor, his soldier's image replaced with a mug shot.
—
James Stolz, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2025
Current law allows the state controller to send a delinquency notice to late filers, and then impose a small fine twenty days later, but there is no record of the controller collecting any late reporting fines.
—Marc Joffe, Orange County Register, 5 Mar. 2025
According to the police news release, Fabianski was charged with criminal mischief, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession of alcohol under 21, and driving under the influence.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
This marks the second time Shanghai Commercial has filed a loan delinquency notice against the property.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for delinquency
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
James Stolz, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2025
Current law allows the state controller to send a delinquency notice to late filers, and then impose a small fine twenty days later, but there is no record of the controller collecting any late reporting fines.
—Marc Joffe, Orange County Register, 5 Mar. 2025
According to the police news release, Fabianski was charged with criminal mischief, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, possession of alcohol under 21, and driving under the influence.
—Escher Walcott, People.com, 1 Mar. 2025
This marks the second time Shanghai Commercial has filed a loan delinquency notice against the property.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for delinquency
Cite this Entry
“Delinquency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delinquency. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
delinquency
noun
de·lin·quen·cy
di-ˈliŋ-kwən-sē, -ˈlin-
plural delinquencies
: conduct that is out of accord with accepted behavior or the law
especially
: juvenile delinquency
Legal Definition
delinquency
noun
de·lin·quen·cy
di-ˈliŋ-kwən-sē
plural delinquencies
1
a
: the quality or state of being delinquent
b
: juvenile delinquency
contributing to the delinquency of a minor
2
: a debt on which payment is overdue
consumer loan delinquencies
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share