Arrears
/əˈrɪərz/
nounIntermediate📊CommonGeneral
1 meaning2 questions
Definitions
1
Unpaid debts or other obligations that are overdue.
/əˈrɪərz/
nounnegativeIntermediate
General
Money owed that is overdue.
He was in arrears on his mortgage payments.
💡 Simply: Money you should have paid but haven't yet.
More Examples
2
The tenant had accumulated significant rent arrears.
How It's Used
Finance
"The company is struggling to pay off its arrears."
Legal
"The court ordered him to pay his rent arrears."
From Anglo-French *arriere,* meaning 'behind,' related to Old French *arriere* and ultimately to Latin *retrō* 'behind'. Originally referred to being behind in a military formation; later extended to debts.
The word's usage related to debt became prominent in the 16th century.
Memory tip
Think 'rear' - being behind on payments means you're in the rear.
Word Origin
LanguageAnglo-French
Original meaning
"behind"
Base: rear
rent arrearstax arrearsmortgage arrearsin arrears
Common misspellings
arearsareer
Practice
Usage
10%Spoken
90%Written