DEBTS Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

debts

noun

plural of debt

as in obligations

something (as money) which is owed he filed for bankruptcy when his debts exceeded his assets

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as in crimes

a breaking of a moral or legal code forgive us our debts

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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.

Recent Examples of debts Traditional credit monitoring generally will not detect the misuse itself, although unpaid debts could eventually create other financial complications. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026 In exchange, the indictment said, the bettors bribed Beasley — and his debts to Davis were reduced or eliminated. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026 Secured debts, like mortgages and auto loans, are ineligible. — Dan Avery, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026 When reality sets in, asset prices fall, but those debts remain. — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 20 Oct. 2026 The histories of Habsburg Spain, ancien régime France, the Ottomans, Austria-Hungary, and the United Kingdom all illustrate the eighteenth-century political theorist Adam Ferguson’s insight that high debts ultimately induce decline. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026 Amidst a shaky stock performance and big debts, Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery parent Skydance now faces a new court challenge to the company’s authority over its streaming assets and corporate strategy. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026 As post-Covid debts mature, a record share of poor countries net-repaid the IMF in 2026 – a drain set to widen by 2030. — Masood Ahmed, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026 More than Democrats, because the DNC has literally more debts than cash. — Jacob Brogan, Vox, 17 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for debts

Noun

Jones said the potential consequences for policyholders could be severe if an insurer’s financial position deteriorated enough to stop it from meeting its obligations.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Council members discussed how to balance the nonprofit’s need for a long-term agreement to attract donors with the city’s need to ensure the building remains in use and the organization fulfills its obligations.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of obligations

Noun

Comparing the administration's fight to protect women and women's spaces from males to rape, is utterly disgusting and actually devalues those atrocities and crimes against actual women.

— Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
McKinney touts the city attorney’s prosecutor role as a means to stem quality-of-life crimes and curb homelessness.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of crimes

Noun

And companies like CoreWeave can’t rack up $52 billion in liabilities without a clear path to pay it back.

— Diane Brady, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Rosland Capital has ceased operations and declared bankruptcy in July, listing some $64 million in liabilities and just $500,000 in assets.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of liabilities

Noun

Lamb, who was once floated for the service’s top job, treats his current position as a kind of penance for past sins, both for himself and for his underlings.

— Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
In what might be Warner’s only good decision this year, the studio is atoning for its censorship sins by releasing a 4K restoration of the director’s original cut across cinemas.

— Juan A. Ramírez, Vulture, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of sins

Noun

Matthew Unglesbee, a 36-year-old resident of Quincy in southwestern Illinois, was charged with violations related to false information and hoaxes and mailing threatening communications.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
Although the cameras aren’t yet issuing official tickets — the program must undergo a 60-day warning period in November — preliminary testing data captured 100,000 speeding violations over the course of nine days last month.

— Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of violations

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“Debts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/debts. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of debts

noun

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