arrear
arrear — noun
1. the situation of being late in paying money that you owe, such as a loan, rent,
the situation of being late in paying money that you owe, such as a loan, rent, or a bill.
The Watanabe family fell into arrears on their mortgage after Mr. Watanabe lost his job at the factory.
fall into arrears on + mortgage/loan/rent
Tenants who are in arrears with their rent may receive a formal warning letter from the landlord.
be in arrears with + rent/payment
Marco was three months in arrears on his car loan before he found a new job.
If a homeowner gets into arrears on a utility bill, the company may cut off the electricity.
Elena's student loan went into arrears while she was between jobs and unable to make payments.
- overdue
adjective describing a payment that is late; 'in arrears' focuses on the person's state
- delinquent
more formal and serious; often used in legal or credit contexts in American English
- behind
more informal and general; 'behind on payments' is a common alternative
- up to date
means all payments have been made on time
- current
the opposite of being in arrears — no payments are overdue
文法句型
be in arrears (with/on something)
fall/get into arrears (with/on something)
用法筆記
This sense is almost always used in the plural form 'arrears' or in fixed phrases such as 'in arrears'. The singular 'arrear' is very rare in modern English.
常見錯誤
2. tasks, duties, or other work that should have been completed earlier but remain
tasks, duties, or other work that should have been completed earlier but remain undone.
After returning from her long trip, Nadia had a large arrear of correspondence to deal with at the office.
arrear of + correspondence/work/business
The new manager spent the first week clearing the arrears of paperwork left by her predecessor.
There is always an arrear of administrative tasks waiting after the summer holidays in the department.
A temporary assistant was hired to deal with the arrear of case files that had piled up.
- backlog
more common in modern English; refers to accumulated work needing attention
- pending matters
formal; focuses on items still waiting to be handled
文法句型
arrears of + work/business/correspondence
用法筆記
This sense is quite formal and less common in everyday conversation. It is typically used in British English with the preposition 'of' followed by a noun describing the type of undone work.
常見錯誤
3. a specific amount of money that is owed because it was not paid when it was due.
a specific amount of money that is owed because it was not paid when it was due.
The company is owed more than fifty thousand dollars in arrears on unpaid invoices from last year.
amount + in arrears on + specific obligation
Benjamin used the money from selling his old car to clear all the arrears on his credit card debt.
clear the arrears on + debt type
The landlord sent a final notice demanding three months of rent arrears by the end of the week.
A payment plan was arranged so the family could pay off their council tax arrears over six months.
Darius checked his bank statement and realised he had accumulated serious arrears on his personal loan.
- overdue payment
more general; simply describes the late status without the financial formality
- back payment
refers to a payment that should have been made earlier
- debt
broader in meaning; arrears are a specific type of overdue debt
- advance payment
payment made before a service is provided, the opposite of paying after
文法句型
pay/clear the arrears
amount in arrears
arrears of + amount
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 3 refers to the actual unpaid amount of money (a countable debt), whereas sense 1 describes the state or condition of being behind. You can 'owe £500 in arrears' (sense 3) or 'be in arrears on your mortgage' (sense 1).
常見錯誤
4. the financial arrangement by which payment is made after the service period or t
the financial arrangement by which payment is made after the service period or term has finished, rather than before it starts.
Most salaried employees are paid in arrears, receiving their wages at the end of each working month.
paid in arrears (payment after work completed)
The consultant agreed to payment in arrears at the end of each project phase.
Under a hire purchase agreement, interest is calculated in arrear rather than in advance.
Utility bills are usually paid in arrears because they are based on the amount of energy actually used that month.
- post-paid
a synonym in business contexts; describes payment after service delivery
- in advance
payment made before the service period begins; the direct opposite of 'in arrears'
- prepaid
paid before consumption or use
文法句型
paid in arrear(s)
in arrear of + specific term
用法筆記
The singular form 'in arrear' is more common in this sense in British accounting and legal usage, though 'in arrears' is also widely used. This is a technical, distinct meaning from the negative sense of being behind on payments.