debt

IPA/det/
KK[dˈɛt]IPA/det/

debt — 名詞

  • debtsingular
  • debtsplural

1. an amount of money that a person, company, or government has borrowed and must p

1.名詞B1
釋義

債務；欠款

需償還他人的錢

an amount of money that a person, company, or government has borrowed and must pay back to the lender

例句

Marta finally paid off her student debt after working for six years.

Marta 工作了六年後，終於還清了她的學貸。

collocation: pay off a debt

The company ran up huge debts during the economic downturn.

那家公司在經濟衰退期間累積了巨額債務。

collocation: run up debts

常見搭配
  • pay off a debt
  • run up a debt
  • be in debt
  • get out of debt
  • credit card debt
  • student debt
  • national debt
  • debt repayment
  • debt crisis
  • write off a debt
  • owe a debt
同義詞
  • obligation

    broader; covers both financial and moral duties

  • liability

    formal/legal term, often used in business contexts for financial debts

  • borrowing

    focuses on the act of taking money, not the state of owing it back

反義詞
  • credit

    money available to you, not owed

  • asset

    something valuable you own, as opposed to what you owe

文法句型

debt + to [someone]

in debt

out of debt

用法筆記

Frequently used in the phrases 'in debt' (owing money) and 'out of debt' (no longer owing). The noun can be countable (debts = individual amounts owed) or uncountable (debt = the general state of owing).

常見錯誤

I have a debt of $1000 from the bank.
I owe the bank $1000.' or 'I have a debt of $1000 to the bank.
Use 'to' to show who is owed, not 'from.'
I borrowed a debt from my friend.
I borrowed money from my friend.
You borrow money, not a debt. The debt is the result of borrowing.

2. a strong feeling that you should be grateful to someone because of the help, sup

2.名詞B2
釋義

恩情；人情

受人幫助而心懷感激

a strong feeling that you should be grateful to someone because of the help, support, or kindness they have given you

例句

Ayesha said she owed a deep debt of gratitude to her grandmother for supporting her through college.

Ayesha 說她非常感激祖母在她大學期間的支持。

idiom: debt of gratitude

The community acknowledged its debt to the volunteers who rebuilt the local park.

社區居民對重建公園的志工們表達了感謝與虧欠。

collocation: acknowledge a debt to [someone]

常見搭配
  • debt of gratitude
  • owe a debt
  • acknowledge a debt
  • repay a debt
  • be in someone's debt
  • debt of kindness
  • debt of thanks
同義詞
  • gratitude

    the feeling itself, without the sense of obligation to repay

  • obligation

    broader and more formal; can imply a duty without emotional gratitude

文法句型

debt of gratitude + to [someone]

in [someone's] debt

用法筆記

Often appears in the fixed expressions 'a debt of gratitude' and 'to be in someone's debt.' This sense is always metaphorical — no actual payment is involved, and the verb 'repay' is used figuratively.

常見錯誤

I have a debt of gratitude from my teacher.
I have a debt of gratitude to my teacher.
Use 'to' for the person you feel grateful toward, not 'from.'
She owes me a debt.' (when no help was given)
She owes me a debt of gratitude for helping her move.
The phrase needs context to specify the kind of debt; 'debt' alone in everyday speech usually means money.
慣用語

in someone's debt

idiom

feeling grateful to someone because of the help or kindness they have given you, with a sense of moral obligation to return the favor

受某人的恩惠；欠某人的情

After Hannah helped him find a job, Brandon said he would always be in her debt.

Nala told the rescue team that she was forever in their debt for saving her son.

be in somebody’s debt

idiom

To feel thankful to someone because they helped you or did something good for you.

感激某人的恩惠

After Maya fixed my computer, I was truly in her debt.

Are you in your brother's debt for lending you the money?

同根字

常見搭配

名詞搭配

  • debt repayment
  • debt crisis
  • debt relief
  • debt collection

副詞搭配

常用片語

  • pay off a debt
  • run up a debt
  • write off a debt
  • be burdened by debt
  • debt of gratitude

介系詞搭配

  • in debt
  • out of debt
  • debt to [someone]