Meanings
phrase
- I owe you.
Customarily, if you borrow $10 for lunch from a coworker, writing IOU $10 on a yellow sticky note acts as a legal promissory note that you will repay said amount on payday.
nounIOU (plural IOUs)
plural IOUs
- An informal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument.
When David couldn’t afford to match the money in the poker pot, he added an IOU for the remaining amount instead.
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Origin
From the pronunciation of "I owe you". Attested since at least 1618.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish skylderklæring
- skylderklæringinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Dutch schulderkenning, schuldbekentenis
- schulderkenninginformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
- schuldbekentenisinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Finnish velkakirja
- velkakirjainformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
French reconnaissance de dette
- reconnaissance de detteinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
German Schuldanerkenntnis, Schuldanerkennung
- Schuldanerkenntnisinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
- Schuldanerkennunginformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Greek υποσχετική
- υποσχετική (yposchetikí)informal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Hungarian adósságelismervény, elismervény adósságról
- adósságelismervényinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
- elismervény adósságrólinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Italian riconoscimento di debito
- riconoscimento di debitoinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Japanese 借用書
- 借用書 (shakuyousho)informal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Latin syngrapha
- syngraphainformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Polish kwit dłużny, skrypt dłużny
- kwit dłużnyinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
- skrypt dłużnyinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Russian расписка
- расписка (raspiska)informal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Spanish reconocimiento de deuda, pagaré
- reconocimiento de deudainformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
- pagaréinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
- abonaréinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Swedish enkelt skuldebrev
- enkelt skuldebrevinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Welsh dylednod
- dylednodinformal promissory note that is not a negotiable instrument
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
IOU. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/IOU
MLA
“IOU.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/IOU. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “IOU,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/IOU.
Source: IOU on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.