debt
part of speech
noun (a debt, debts; debt, uncountable)
meaning for a pupil
1) A debt is money that you owe to someone. tree →
2) Debt is the state of owing money (be in debt). tree →
3) A debt of gratitude is a feeling that you owe someone thanks for their help. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Money or goods owed. The Torah has laws to protect the poor who borrow, such as returning a pledge. Interpretation: Jewish law forbids oppressing a debtor and requires returning a pledge. Tradition also teaches release of debts in the seventh year. In the primary lessons: In maths and money lessons, a debt can be shown as a negative number: if you have £5 and owe £8, you are £3 in debt. In everyday life, borrowing on a credit card or loan creates debt that must be paid back, usually with interest. Phrases: in debt, out of debt, pay off a debt, owe a debt, get into debt.
examples
- Be thou not of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts; (Writings PRO.22.26, JPS 1917) tree →
- And he said: 'Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy sons of the rest.' (Prophets 2KI.4.7, JPS 1917) tree →
- and hath not wronged any, but hath restored his pledge for a debt, hath taken nought by robbery, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; (Prophets EZK.18.7, JPS 1917) tree →
- He paid back his debt to his sister. tree →
- If you borrow money, you are in debt. tree →
- It took them years to get out of debt. tree →
- I owe you a debt of gratitude for helping me. tree →
- If I have £2 and owe £5, my debt is £3. tree →
- Credit cards can lead people into debt. tree →
- The company had huge debts. tree →
- “We will pay your debts,” they said. tree →
note
Countable (a debt, debts) and uncountable (in debt). The «b» is silent: DET. Trap: «in debt» means you owe money; a debt is like a negative amount, so paying it off brings you back to zero.
In the corpora
- Be thou not of them that strike hands, or of them that are sureties for debts;
- Debt is money that has been borrowed and is still owed.
- Most adults have some, like a mortgage or a car loan, and planned debt can be fine.
- Debt becomes a problem when the repayments are more than the family can afford.
- Debt is common and can be sorted.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «debt» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.