How to Use consumer debt in a Sentence

consumer debt

noun
  • Here are the states that increased their consumer debt the most in the second half of 2025.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
  • But here’s a complete strategy for dealing with the burden of consumer debt.
    — Terry Savage, Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2023
  • Wages flatlined and consumer debt soared, as credit cards became an increasingly easy way to pay for things.
    — Mya Frazier, New York Times, 7 June 2023
  • For a while, consumer debt and delinquencies on that debt were falling during the pandemic.
    — Nate Dicamillo, Quartz, 21 Apr. 2023
  • Boomers also tend to carry less consumer debt and aren’t burdened with student loan repayments.
    — Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 23 May 2024
  • This mountain of consumer debt is top of mind for ResilienceVC and investors like us.
    — Vikas Raj, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
  • But the level of consumer debt has ballooned into a national crisis.
    — Gabriela Sa Pessoa, Washington Post, 24 Dec. 2023
  • In most consumer debt cases, a creditor must first sue you and obtain a judgment before your wages can be garnished.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Corporate bankruptcies are on the rise and so are consumer debt delinquencies.
    — Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 3 July 2023
  • The rate indicates what banks charge each other for overnight lending but sets a guidepost for a slew of other consumer debt products.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 30 July 2024
  • Credit card debt is unsecured consumer debt, and in most cases, lenders expect repayment.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Households are already using up their excess cash to pay for inflated prices, and consumer debt has been increasing as well.
    — Byalicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 1 Sep. 2023
  • The global economy runs on debt, and in America, consumer debt is a huge part of how things work here, and there are good things about that too.
    — Quartz Staff, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2023
  • That means consumer debt — especially variable-rate credit card debt — will get more expensive.
    — Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 25 Mar. 2023
  • People spend most of their money on services — such as housing, insurance, interest on consumer debt and health care — rather than goods.
    — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025
  • States with lowest increase in consumer debt Here are the states with the lowest increases, or even decreases in debt.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Payday lending and consumer debt collection.
    — Charlotte Observer, 11 Dec. 2025
  • On top of that, loan defaults are rising both in the commercial real estate sector and across consumer debt, like credit cards and auto loans.
    — Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
  • People who have a lot of consumer debt and continue with their spending will sometimes try to get their problem to go away by simply shifting it to someone else.
    — Amy Dickinson, The Mercury News, 4 May 2024
  • People who have a lot of consumer debt who continue with their spending will sometimes try to get their problem to go away by simply shifting it to someone else.
    — Amy Dickinson, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2024
  • As prices continue to rise across the country, Americans are tacking more and more money onto their consumer debt.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
  • But raising that rate has a much wider impact on all kinds of consumer debt — from auto loans to mortgages to credit cards — not to mention the effects on the stock and bond markets.
    — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2025
  • However, the rates charged on credit cards and other consumer debt often stay at high levels even when the Fed reduces the federal funds rate.
    — Steve Vernon, Forbes, 27 Sep. 2024
  • The fed funds rate sets what banks charge each other for overnight lending but also influences a variety of consumer debt such as auto loans, credit cards and mortgages.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2024
  • Civil filings for consumer debt have surged in recent years as delinquency rates on credit cards and other borrowing tools continue to climb.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026
  • While some debt, like a mortgage, can be strategic, high-interest consumer debt, such as credit cards, drains your resources and limits your ability to save and invest.
    — Melissa Houston, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
  • Nationwide, 3% of consumer debt was delinquent in the first quarter, the highest since 2020’s first quarter.
    — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 31 May 2026
  • Nationwide, 3% of consumer debt was delinquent in the first quarter, the highest since 2020’s first quarter.
    — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 20 May 2026
  • At the same time, the pause helped many households achieve other goals, like buying homes, paying off other consumer debt, or simply get by even as prices for essentials skyrocketed.
    — Byalicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 25 Sep. 2023
  • Industry estimates show that most people (59% to 75%) who start a debt management plan are able to finish it and pay off all their consumer debt.
    — Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consumer debt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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