How to Use delinquent in a Sentence

delinquent

1 of 2 noun
  • Has been tax delinquent for at least three years.
    — Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 18 June 2025
  • Which Texas cities rank among the most debt delinquent?
    — Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 6 Apr. 2026
  • There were 12 of us, delinquents, with our heads shaved down to our scalps.
    — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 12 Dec. 2025
  • Delinquent means the person has missed payments for 90 days or more.
    — Gail Marksjarvis, chicagotribune.com, 24 Aug. 2017
  • Or what the Fourth of July used to be like with the young delinquent down the street.
    — Chris Erskine, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2019
  • There was one sheriff that thought these kids were going to be juvenile delinquents and end up in his jail.
    — Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2017
  • Shephard says the most important thing to do is resolve any delinquent or past due payments.
    — Mekialaya White, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
  • But the overall effect remains that of a juvenile delinquent dressed for a court date.
    — Mike Sutton, Car and Driver, 27 Sep. 2017
  • Forced to tutor students at a school, a young delinquent falls for a minister’s daughter.
    — Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2021
  • The garden lots, however, are mostly owned by city agencies and tax delinquents.
    — Claudia Vargas, Philly.com, 2 Apr. 2018
  • Going back now would send a bad message to delinquents and criminals that there can be impunity.
    — Matthew Lee, The Seattle Times, 13 June 2017
  • But Miller did say the teen had recently started hanging out with the wrong crowd and became a teenage delinquent.
    — Nicholas Williams, New York Daily News, 14 Apr. 2026
  • This means any unpaid amount, whether utilities or other charges, can make an account delinquent because it must be paid at the same time as rent.
    — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 8 Jan. 2026
  • They are not supposed to be placed with delinquents in juvenile facilities.
    — Jay Blitzman, The Conversation, 8 June 2026
  • The 12-year-old was charged with criminal mischief as a juvenile delinquent.
    — Fox News, 29 July 2019
  • The fourth roommate, the delinquent, then started chatting about dinner plans and commenting on the baby.
    — Deborah Tannen, Philly.com, 25 June 2017
  • Both teens will be facing charges of delinquent to wit, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and delinquent to wit, joint venture.
    — Kate Armanini, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Jan. 2023
  • Most striking, the ordinary delinquents have killed 16 people since their release.
    — Barbara Bradley Hagerty, The Atlantic, 16 May 2017
  • There are two payments due each fiscal year, with the last one considered delinquent after April 10.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 June 2019
  • The story of a high school delinquent turned basketball player is wildly addictive, with a rich supporting cast and tons of plot twists.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026
  • O’Neal wrote about delinquents – characters whose exploits, their power, induced a creeping tingle on the back of your neck.
    — Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026
  • Eventually, the delinquent was escorted off the plane by local police while everyone else flew home.
    — Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes, 25 June 2021
  • In my view, the prompt and efficient pursuit of delinquencies is better than embarrassing the delinquent.
    — Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Feb. 2023
  • State officials urged tax delinquents to apply for the program sooner rather than later to avoid a potential audit and pay less in interest.
    — Russell Blair, courant.com, 8 Dec. 2017
  • The city will have the ability to withhold certificates of compliance to landlords who are more than one year delinquent on their property taxes.
    — Perry A. Farrell, Detroit Free Press, 1 Feb. 2018
  • Wearing a hoodie and with an extreme case of the shakes, Glynn-Carney’s George seems less like a lawyer than an addict, or a delinquent.
    — Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 22 Nov. 2025
  • Acts like washing the feet of juvenile delinquents (some of them Muslim and female) on Holy Thursday shocked the world.
    — Katy Lemieux, Esquire, 30 Dec. 2016
  • Still got a degree in criminal law at Penn State with the idea of helping juvenile delinquents when his football career ended.
    — Joe Kay, Cincinnati.com, 4 May 2018
  • Produced by the Slowtide company for the streamer, the show follows a juvenile delinquent who becomes a sumo apprentice.
    — Patrick Frater, Variety, 29 Mar. 2023
  • The boy was adjudicated delinquent on the disorderly conduct charge.
    — Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer, 1 Oct. 2025

delinquent

2 of 2 adjective
  • The town is trying to collect delinquent taxes.
  • His delinquent behavior could lead to more serious problems.
  • Your delinquent balance would be added to the back end of your loan.
    — Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023
  • Eight-and-a-half percent were delinquent, but not charged off.
    — George Liebmann, Baltimore Sun, 11 Apr. 2026
  • Find out how to start tackling your delinquent debt today.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Newly delinquent accounts may take longer to reach that stage.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
  • Now, delinquent property taxes have put the land at risk.
    — Maddie White, CBS News, 24 June 2026
  • How many people are delinquent on their credit card balances?
    — How To Save A Country, The New Republic, 22 Sep. 2022
  • Or does your credit profile reveal a track record of delinquent or late payments?
    — Mia Taylor, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2022
  • Here's where Texans ranked in the 100 most debt delinquent cities.
    — Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 6 Apr. 2026
  • The share of credit card debt that became delinquent also increased.
    — Lorraine Mirabella, Baltimore Sun, 11 July 2023
  • If a borrower misses a payment by the due date, their loan becomes delinquent.
    — Time, 30 June 2023
  • The deadline for property owners to pay their delinquent taxes or be placed on the tax sale list passed last month.
    — Washington Post, 1 May 2022
  • That tactic has been used for decades to try to compel borrowers to pay what's owed on their delinquent accounts.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2026
  • And while some debt can be manageable, delinquent debt is a different story.
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 June 2026
  • The county has not mailed any letters seeking delinquent payments yet this cycle.
    — Carrie Napoleon, Chicago Tribune, 23 June 2023
  • De la Iglesia’s delinquent hero were men, however.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Otherwise, the amount of the penalty is equal to 10% of the amount of delinquent taxes.
    — Jenny Porter Tilley, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Apr. 2023
  • Despite these headwinds, the share of office mortgages that are delinquent remains low.
    — Konrad Putzier, WSJ, 5 July 2022
  • Texas has 13 cities among the 100 most debt-delinquent cities, according to the study.
    — Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 6 Apr. 2026
  • The city had just announced its tax sale, the annual listing of properties with delinquent tax bills.
    — Giacomo Bologna, Baltimore Sun, 21 Apr. 2023
  • Severely delinquent loans are more than 60 days past due and defaults are more than 90 days past due.
    — Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 19 July 2023
  • That’s the highest amount of delinquent payments since the third quarter of 2015.
    — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 11 Aug. 2025
  • Some of the hospital’s delinquent payments were scooped up by firms that purchase for investment past-due tax bills.
    — Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Friday was supposed to be the deadline for property owners to pay their delinquent taxes or be placed on the tax sale list.
    — Giacomo Bologna, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2022
  • The agency then likely reports your delinquent account to the credit bureaus.
    — Bill Hardekopf, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2023
  • The bill would reform the state’s system for selling delinquent property taxes.
    — Lizzie Kane, Chicago Tribune, 25 May 2023
  • That low came when consumers were flush with stimulus cash and bankers were generous with delinquent-loan assistance.
    — Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 15 Aug. 2025
  • But the taxes had never been delinquent in the first place, Benson and Blair insisted.
    — Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2025
  • So what exactly can creditors take — and what's off limits — when you're retired and being sued over delinquent debt?
    — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 18 May 2026

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

Last Updated: