Meanings
plural debits
- countableuncountableIn bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account.
A cash sale is recorded as debit on the cash account and as credit on the sales account.
- countableuncountableA sum of money taken out of a bank account. Thus called, because in bank's bookkeeping a cash withdrawal diminishes the amount of money held on the account, i.e. bank's debt to the customer.
present singular third person debits · participle present debiting · participle past debited · past debited
- To make an entry on the debit side of an account.
The economist also observed that some of the Victoria Line's cost should be debited to existing lines, as they would benefit from the rebuilding of their interchange stations with the new tube.
1962 October, “The Victoria Line”, in Modern Railways, page 217 - To record a receivable in the bookkeeping.
We shall debit your account for the amount of the purchase.
1 more example
We shall debit the amount of your purchase to your account.
- not comparableof or relating to process of taking money from an account
- not comparableof or relating to the debit card function of a debit card rather than its often available credit card function
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan accounting entry acknowledging sums that are owing
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindebitum“what is owed, a debt”
- Middle Frenchdebet
- Englishdebit
Borrowed from Middle French debet, from Latin debitum (“what is owed, a debt”), neuter of debitus, past participle of debere (“to owe”); Doublet of debt.
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian деби́т, дебитен
- деби́т (debít)in bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- дебитен (debiten)of or relating to debit card function
Chinese Mandarin 借記 /借记, 借記 /借记
- 借記 /借记 (jièjì)in bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- 借記 /借记 (jièjì)sum of money taken out of a bank account
Czech debet
- debetin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
Danish debet
- debetin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
Dutch debet, debet
- debetin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- debetsum of money taken out of a bank account
Finnish debet-vienti, veloitus
- debet-vientiin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- veloitusin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- ottosum of money taken out of a bank account
- veloittaato make an entry on the debit side of an account
- veloittaato record a receivable
- otto-of or relating to taking money from an account
- otto-of or relating to debit card function
French débit, débiter
- débitin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- débiterto make an entry on the debit side of an account
German Soll
- Sollin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
Greek χρέωση, ανάληψη
- χρέωση (chréosi)in bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- ανάληψη (análipsi)sum of money taken out of a bank account
Hungarian tartozik oldal, terhelés
- tartozik oldalin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- terheléssum of money taken out of a bank account
- megterheléssum of money taken out of a bank account
- pénzfelvételsum of money taken out of a bank account
- pénzkivételsum of money taken out of a bank account
- terhelto record a receivable
- megterhel (számlát)to record a receivable
Italian addebito
- addebitoin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
Japanese 借方
- 借方 (karikata)in bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
Korean 차변
- 차변 (chabyeon)in bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
Māori moni tango
- moni tangosum of money taken out of a bank account
Polish debet, debet
- debetin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- debetsum of money taken out of a bank account
Portuguese débito, débito
- débitoin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- débitosum of money taken out of a bank account
Romanian debit, debit
- debitin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- debitsum of money taken out of a bank account
- debitato make an entry on the debit side of an account
- debitato record a receivable
Russian де́бет, де́бет
- де́бет (débet)in bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- де́бет (débet)sum of money taken out of a bank account
Slovak debet
- debetin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
Spanish débito
- débitoin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
Swedish debet
- debetin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
Thai เดบิต
- เดบิตin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
Ukrainian де́бет, де́бет
- де́бет (débet)in bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
- де́бет (débet)sum of money taken out of a bank account
Vietnamese ghi nợ
- ghi nợin bookkeeping, an entry in the left hand column of an account
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
debit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debit
“debit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debit. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “debit,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debit.
Source: debit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.