national debt

noun

: the total amount of money that the government of a country owes to companies, countries, etc.

Examples of national debt in a Sentence

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Trump had also proposed tariffs as another revenue stream for helping to pay down national debt. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 28 Apr. 2026 Spending heavily on our military will increase our $39 trillion national debt and increasing the cost of energy will make the affordability situation even worse for Americans. Gary Franks, Hartford Courant, 26 Apr. 2026 The national debt goes up while ordinary Americans struggle to survive. Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2026 Continuing down this path only increases uncertainty, undermines long-term infrastructure planning and grows the national debt. Andrew Stasiowski, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for national debt

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“National debt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/national%20debt. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

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