debt

debt — noun

1. an amount of money that a person, company, or government has borrowed and must p

1.名詞B1
釋義

an amount of money that a person, company, or government has borrowed and must pay back to the lender

例句

Marta finally paid off her student debt after working for six years.

collocation: pay off a debt

The company ran up huge debts during the economic downturn.

collocation: run up debts

同義詞
  • obligation

    broader; covers both financial and moral duties

  • liability

    formal/legal term, often used in business contexts for financial debts

  • borrowing

    focuses on the act of taking money, not the state of owing it back

反義詞
  • credit

    money available to you, not owed

  • asset

    something valuable you own, as opposed to what you owe

文法句型

debt + to [someone]

in debt

out of debt

用法筆記

Frequently used in the phrases 'in debt' (owing money) and 'out of debt' (no longer owing). The noun can be countable (debts = individual amounts owed) or uncountable (debt = the general state of owing).

常見錯誤

❌I have a debt of $1000 from the bank.
✅I owe the bank $1000.' or 'I have a debt of $1000 to the bank.
💡Use 'to' to show who is owed, not 'from.'
❌I borrowed a debt from my friend.
✅I borrowed money from my friend.
💡You borrow money, not a debt. The debt is the result of borrowing.

2. a strong feeling that you should be grateful to someone because of the help, sup

2.名詞B2
釋義

a strong feeling that you should be grateful to someone because of the help, support, or kindness they have given you

例句

Ayesha said she owed a deep debt of gratitude to her grandmother for supporting her through college.

idiom: debt of gratitude

The community acknowledged its debt to the volunteers who rebuilt the local park.

collocation: acknowledge a debt to [someone]

同義詞
  • gratitude

    the feeling itself, without the sense of obligation to repay

  • obligation

    broader and more formal; can imply a duty without emotional gratitude

文法句型

debt of gratitude + to [someone]

in [someone's] debt

用法筆記

Often appears in the fixed expressions 'a debt of gratitude' and 'to be in someone's debt.' This sense is always metaphorical — no actual payment is involved, and the verb 'repay' is used figuratively.

常見錯誤

❌I have a debt of gratitude from my teacher.
✅I have a debt of gratitude to my teacher.
💡Use 'to' for the person you feel grateful toward, not 'from.'
❌She owes me a debt.' (when no help was given)
✅She owes me a debt of gratitude for helping her move.
💡The phrase needs context to specify the kind of debt; 'debt' alone in everyday speech usually means money.