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.
The deficit, which will now be added to the growing national debt, was 12 percent higher than the year before, with Republicans--who used to be deficit scolds--controlling the executive and legislative branches. — Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026 Fiscal, political risks French borrowing costs have jumped amid concerns over its national debt, which has swelled due to tax cuts, spikes in energy costs linked to the Iran war and stagnating economic growth. — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026 Bond yields would increase, and financing the ballooning national debt would become even harder. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026 The national debt recently hit $40 trillion, a psychological milestone that has caused a run-up in bond yields. — Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for national debt

Rhymes for national debt

See All Rhymes for national debt

Browse Nearby Words

national day
national debt
National Democratic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“National debt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/national%20debt. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of deportment

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

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

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

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Why do we call it a 'flea market'?
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All