national debt

noun

: the total amount of money that the government of a country owes to companies, countries, etc.

Examples of national debt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Note the yellow band—interest on the national debt—which is expanding fast. — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 Today, her challenge extends beyond assisting individual low income nations with fiscal stability to urging wealthy economies to curb national debt and assume greater systemic responsibility. — CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026 The attendees also peppered Talarico with questions about voter ID and the national debt. — Lauren Green, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026 This bill alone will add more than $4 trillion to our national debt. — Wcco Staff, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for national debt

Cite this Entry

Style

“National debt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/national%20debt. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

national debt

noun

Examples of national debt in a Sentence

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes

national debt

noun

Examples of national debt in a Sentence

Rhymes for national debt

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

Games & Quizzes