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debtor

/ˈdɛdər/
/ˈdɛtə/
IPA guide

Other forms: debtors

A debtor is someone who owes money. If you borrow from a bank to buy a car, you are a debtor.

Most of us are debtors at some point in our lives. We borrow money to buy houses or cars, to attend college, or to tide us over when we're between jobs. Businesses and large institutions can also be debtors, and even countries are often debtors. If a developing country borrows money from a wealthier one, the borrower is a debtor. The opposite of a debtor is a creditor.

Definitions of debtor
  1. noun
    a person who owes a creditor; someone who has the obligation of paying a debt
    synonyms: debitor
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    creditor
    a person to whom money is owed by a debtor; someone to whom an obligation exists
    types:
    deadbeat, defaulter
    someone who fails to meet a financial obligation
    fly-by-night
    a debtor who flees to avoid paying
    mortgager, mortgagor
    the person who gives a mortgage in return for money to be repaid
    deadbeat dad
    a father who willfully defaults on his obligation to provide financial support for his offspring
    type of:
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