defaulter

/dɪˈfɔːltə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈfɔːltər/ (ame, ipa) · /-tə(r)/ (ame, mw)

defaulter — noun

1. a person, company, or institution that does not pay back money they owe, or that

1.名詞B2
釋義

a person, company, or institution that does not pay back money they owe, or that fails to carry out some other legal duty

例句

The bank sent Hana a final warning before listing her as a defaulter.

collocation: listed as a defaulter

Dmitri was declared a defaulter on his mortgage after six missed payments.

passive: be declared a defaulter on a loan

同義詞
  • debtor

    more general; someone who owes money, regardless of whether they have missed a payment

  • delinquent

    common in US credit reporting; implies a pattern of late or missed payments

  • nonpayer

    informal and judgmental; suggests habitual failure to pay rather than a single default

反義詞
  • creditor

    the person or institution to whom the debt is owed

  • payer

    someone who meets their payment obligations on time

用法筆記

Common in banking, credit, and tax contexts. The related verb 'default' is more frequent in everyday speech.

常見錯誤

❌Every debtor is a defaulter.
✅A debtor becomes a defaulter only when they miss a required payment.
💡a debtor simply owes money; a defaulter has broken the payment agreement.

2. someone who does not attend a court hearing after being officially told they mus

2.名詞B2
釋義

someone who does not attend a court hearing after being officially told they must be there

例句

The judge issued an arrest warrant after Bjorn was recorded as a defaulter.

collocation: recorded as a defaulter

Amara spent a night in jail because the court listed her as a defaulter.

同義詞
  • no-show

    informal; used in everyday contexts, not just legal ones

  • absconder

    stronger term; implies deliberately fleeing to avoid legal proceedings

  • fugitive

    someone actively hiding from the law, more serious than a mere defaulter

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1 (FAILS TO PAY): this sense is specifically about failing to attend a court hearing after being summoned, not about unpaid debts.

常見錯誤

❌Tariq was a defaulter because he arrived ten minutes late to court.
✅Tariq was marked a defaulter because he never showed up at the hearing.
💡a court defaulter fails to appear at all, not just arrives late.