verb + debt : clear, pay off, reduce, repay, service; get into, incur, owe SYNONYMS debt NOUN 1
loan: The country has no access to foreign loans or financial aid.
liabilities: The company had assets of $138 million and liabilities of $120.5 million.
de bt bur|den (debt burdens ) N‑COUNT A debt burden is a large amount of money that one country or organization owes to another and which they find very difficult to repay. □ …the massive debt burden of the Third World.
debt|or /de tə r / (debtors ) N‑COUNT [oft N n] A debtor is a country, organization, or person who owes money. □ …the situation of debtor countries.
de bt-ridden ADJ [usu ADJ n] Debt-ridden countries, companies, or people owe extremely large amounts of money. □ …the debt-ridden economies of Latin America.
de|bug /diː bʌ g/ (debugs , debugging , debugged ) VERB When someone debugs a computer program, they look for the faults in it and correct them so that it will run properly. [COMPUTING ] □ [V n] The production lines ground to a halt for hours while technicians tried to debug software.
de|bunk /diː bʌ ŋk/ (debunks , debunking , debunked ) VERB If you debunk a widely held belief, you show that it is false. If you debunk something that is widely admired, you show that it is not as good as people think it is. □ [V n] Historian Michael Beschloss debunks a few myths.
de|but ◆◇◇ /de I bjuː, [AM ] de I bjuː / (debuts ) N‑COUNT [oft with poss] The debut of a performer or sports player is their first public performance, appearance, or recording. □ Israel's brightest young star made his international debut on Wednesday. □ It was the fastest selling debut album in the history of the British charts. COLLOCATIONS debut NOUN
noun + debut : big-screen, film, screen, stage; acting
adjective + debut : acclaimed, impressive, memorable, sensational; directorial, solo, theatrical; first-class, international; auspicious, promising
debu|tante /de bjʊtɑːnt/ (debutantes ) N‑COUNT A debutante is a young woman from the upper classes who has started going to social events with other young people. [OLD-FASHIONED ]
Dec. Dec. is a written abbreviation for December .
dec|ade ◆◆◇ /de ke I d/ (decades ) N‑COUNT A decade is a period of ten years, especially one that begins with a year ending in 0, for example 1980 to 1989. □ …the last decade of the nineteenth century.
deca|dent /de kədənt/ ADJ If you say that a person or society is decadent , you think that they have low moral standards and are interested mainly in pleasure. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …the excesses and stresses of their decadent rock 'n' roll lifestyles. ● deca|dence N‑UNCOUNT □ The empire had for years been falling into decadence.
de|caf /diː kæf/ (decafs ) also decaff N‑VAR Decaf is decaffeinated coffee. [INFORMAL ]
de|caf|fein|at|ed /diː kæ f I ne I t I d/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] Decaffeinated coffee has had most of the caffeine removed from it.
de|cal /diː kæl/ (decals ) N‑COUNT Decals are pieces of paper with a design on one side. The design can be transferred onto a surface by heating it, soaking it in water, or pressing it hard. [AM ] in BRIT, use transfer
de|camp /d I kæ mp/ (decamps , decamping , decamped ) VERB If you decamp , you go away from somewhere secretly or suddenly. □ [V ] We all decamped to the pub.
de|cant /d I kæ nt/ (decants , decanting , decanted ) VERB If you decant a liquid into another container, you put it into another container. [FORMAL ] □ [V n + into ] She always used to decant the milk into a jug. [Also V n]
de|cant|er /d I kæ ntə r / (decanters ) N‑COUNT A decanter is a glass container that you use for serving wine, sherry, or port.
de|capi|tate /d I kæ p I te I t/ (decapitates , decapitating , decapitated ) VERB If someone is decapitated , their head is cut off. [FORMAL ] □ [be V -ed] A worker was decapitated when a lift plummeted down the shaft on top of him. ● de|capi|ta|tion /d I kæ p I te I ʃ ə n/ (decapitations ) N‑VAR □ …executions by decapitation.
de|cath|lon /d I kæ θlɒn/ (decathlons ) N‑COUNT The decathlon is a competition in which athletes compete in 10 different sporting events.
de|cay /d I ke I / (decays , decaying , decayed )
1 VERB When something such as a dead body, a dead plant, or a tooth decays , it is gradually destroyed by a natural process. □ [V ] The bodies buried in the fine ash slowly decayed. □ [V -ing] The ground was scattered with decaying leaves. ● N‑UNCOUNT Decay is also a noun. □ When not removed, plaque causes tooth decay and gum disease. ● de|cayed ADJ □ …decayed teeth.
2 VERB If something such as a society, system, or institution decays , it gradually becomes weaker or its condition gets worse. □ [V ] Popular cinema seems to have decayed. ● N‑UNCOUNT Decay is also a noun. □ There are problems of urban decay and gang violence.
de|ceased /d I siː st/ (deceased )
1 N‑COUNT The deceased is used to refer to a particular person or to particular people who have recently died. [LEGAL ] □ The identities of the deceased have now been determined.
2 ADJ A deceased person is one who has recently died. [FORMAL ] □ …his recently deceased mother.
de|ceit /d I siː t/ (deceits ) N‑VAR Deceit is behaviour that is deliberately intended to make people believe something which is not true. □ They have been involved in a campaign of deceit.