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

Control of two more, including Whispering Pines, has been given to a caretaker at a creditor’s request in a receivership action brought after loans signed by Shmaryahu Baumgarten went unpaid. —Joe Rubino, The Denver Post, 3 Nov. 2024

Kevin Wallace, a lawyer from James’s office, handed Trump a document prepared for his creditors in 2013, which listed the value of 40 Wall Street at $530 million — more than 400 times his original purchase price. —Paula Aceves, Curbed, 31 Oct. 2024

But over the past several decades, financial-industry groups in the U.S. have pushed legislators to amend the bankruptcy system in a way that prioritizes creditors over debtors. —Michael Waters, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024

Most likely, the creditor was conducting post-judgment enforcement activities that pressured the debtor into filing. —Jay Adkisson, Forbes, 26 Oct. 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