- debt
- noun1 sum of money owedADJECTIVE▪ big, crippling, enormous, heavy, high, huge, large, massive, substantial▪
He was burdened with crippling debts.
▪ mounting▪a company faced with mounting debts
▪ outstanding, unpaid▪She used her lottery winnings to pay off her outstanding debts.
▪ bad (= that cannot be repaid)▪Bad debt has hit the bank's profits this year.
▪ long-term, short-term▪ overall, total▪ gross, net▪ commercial, corporate▪ federal, government▪ consumer▪ external, foreign, international▪ national, public▪The country has a national debt of 80% of GNP.
▪ personal▪He used the cash to pay off personal debts.
▪ gambling▪ credit-card, loan, mortgage▪Managing your student loan debt is not easy.
VERB + DEBT▪ be burdened with, have, owe (sb)▪the substantial debts that the company owed to the bank
▪ accumulate, incur, run up▪She ran up huge debts on her credit card.
▪ clear, eliminate, meet, pay, pay back, pay off, repay, retire (AmE, finance), settle▪Without a job, he'll never clear his debts.
▪It'll take months to pay off all your debts.
▪ reduce▪ tackle▪The new governments main aim is to tackle the country's massive debt.
▪ default on▪The company defaulted on its debt and its assets were seized.
▪ cancel, erase, forgive, wipe out, write off▪After a series of meetings, the banks were forced to write off the company's debts.
▪ service (= pay interest on)▪The fall in exports has left the country unable to service its debts.
▪ refinance, reschedule, restructure▪The company has reached a deal allowing it to restructure its debts.
▪ consolidate▪He wanted to consolidate his debts into one payment.
▪ manage▪The first step in managing your debt is to stop incurring it.
▪ secure▪a debt secured on property
DEBT + VERB▪ fall due (BrE)▪ stand at sth, total sth▪The national debt stands at $7 billion.
▪ arise from sth (BrE)▪debts arising from bad investments
DEBT + NOUN▪ collection, collector▪ payment, repayment▪ burden, level, load, obligation▪Data show that debt levels at private companies are increasing.
▪ problem▪ management▪We offer financial and debt-management advice.
▪ cancellation, forgiveness, relief▪ reduction▪ consolidation▪ service▪ crisis▪a solution to the debt crisis of the developing world
PREPOSITION▪ of debt▪$80 million of debt
PHRASES▪ a burden of debt▪Faced with a mounting burden of debt, he sold off the company.
▪ payment of a debt, repayment of a debt, settlement of a debt2 state of owing moneyADJECTIVE▪ seriousVERB + DEBT▪ get into, go into, slip into▪It is easy to get into serious debt with a credit card.
▪ get out of▪You can get out of debt by strict economizing.
PREPOSITION▪ in debt▪He was heavily in debt by the time he sought advice.
▪ out of debt▪We're all struggling to stay out of debt.
PHRASES▪ deeply in debt, heavily in debt3 sth that you owe sbADJECTIVE▪ greatVERB + DEBT▪ owe▪ acknowledge, recognize▪ repay▪She was simply repaying a debt, saving his career in return for him saving hers.
PREPOSITION▪ in sb's debt▪I will be forever in Ruth's debt for the excellent advice she gave me.
▪ debt to▪In the introduction, the author acknowledges her debt to other writers on the subject.
PHRASES▪ owe a debt of gratitude to sb▪We owe a great debt of gratitude to our families for their support.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.
