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national debt

noun

the financial obligations of a national government resulting from deficit spending.

national debt

noun

the total outstanding borrowings of a nation's central government Also called (esp US)public debt

national debt

The debt of the government; the amount of borrowing by the government to meet expenditures exceeding tax revenues .

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Notes

A large national debt can inhibit growth and drive up interest rates .

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Word History and Origins

Origin of national debt¹

An Americanism dating back to 1775–85

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

�� Trump said: Now it's our turn to prosper, and in so doing, use trillions and trillions of dollars to reduce our taxes and pay down our national debt, and it'll all happen very quickly.

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They claim to be the party of fiscal conservatism and their leaders bemoan the national debt, but this plan blows up the debt.

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It is also pointed out that Germany's national debt is vastly smaller than the UK's as a share of national income.

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“The country is going bankrupt,” he said, referring to the growing national debt.

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Pistorius told German TV that removing defence from national debt rules was not about armaments as much as "the security of our country - nothing more, nothing less".

From

National Curriculum National Economic Development Council

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