{
    "term": "debt",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a sum of money that somebody owes",
            "labels": "(informal)(informal)(British English)(North American English)(informal)(informal)(informal)(British English)(US English)(formal)(especially North American English)(British English)(especially British English)(especially British English)(North American English usually)(informal)(informal)especially North American English",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "to **pay/repay a debt**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I need to **pay off **all my debts."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I've finally cleared all my debts."
                },
                {
                    "text": "After settling his debts he was left with just £2000."
                },
                {
                    "text": "an outstanding debt of £300"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He had **run up** huge credit card **debts**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They had incurred debts of over $1 million."
                },
                {
                    "text": "After a series of meetings, the banks were forced to write off the company's debts."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He was burdened with crippling debts."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a company faced with mounting debts"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He wanted to consolidate his debts into one payment."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The company has reached a deal allowing it to restructure its debts."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Only two payments were made, leaving an outstanding debt of £300."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Data show that debt levels at private companies are increasing."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Managing your student loan debt is not easy."
                },
                {
                    "text": "debts arising from bad investments"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a debt secured on property"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The fall in exports has left the country unable to service its debts."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Without a job, he'll never clear his debts."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The company defaulted on its debt and its assets were seized."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Money"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["big", "crippling", "enormous"],
                "verb + debt": ["be burdened with", "have", "owe (somebody)"],
                "debt + verb": ["fall due", "stand at something", "total something"],
                "debt + noun": ["collection", "collector", "payment"],
                "preposition": ["of debt"],
                "phrases": [
                    "a burden of debt",
                    "payment of a debt",
                    "repayment of a debt"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "the situation of owing money, especially when you cannot pay",
            "sensetop": "in debtout of debt",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He died heavily in debt.",
                    "contextForm": "in debt"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The club is £4 million in debt."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We were poor but we never **got into debt**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's hard to stay out of debt when you are a student.",
                    "contextForm": "out of debt"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The country's **debt burden** is increasing."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a solution to the debt crisis of the developing world"
                },
                {
                    "text": "We offer financial and debt-management advice."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Faced with a mounting burden of debt, he sold off the company."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Governments may find it increasingly difficult to manage their debt repayments."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She faces a mountain of debt—$60 000 in student loans and $15 000 in credit card balances."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Shopping"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["serious"],
                "verb + debt": ["get into", "go into", "slip into"],
                "preposition": ["in debt", "out of debt"],
                "phrases": ["deeply in debt", "heavily in debt"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "the fact that you should feel grateful to somebody because they have helped you or been kind to you",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I **owe** them **a debt of gratitude** that I can never repay."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I would like to acknowledge my debt to my teachers."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was simply repaying a debt, saving his career in return for him saving hers."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["great"],
                "verb + debt": ["owe", "acknowledge", "recognize"],
                "preposition": ["in somebody’s debt", "debt to"],
                "phrases": ["owe a debt of gratitude to somebody"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to feel grateful to somebody for their help, kind behaviour, etc.",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I am in Ruth's debt for the excellent advice she gave me."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/det/",
                "audio": "de/debt/debt__gb_2.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/det/",
                "audio": "de/debt/debt__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English dette: from Old French, based on Latin debitum ‘something owed’, past participle of debere ‘owe’. The spelling change in French and English was by association with the Latin word."
}