promissory note

US/ˈpɹɑmɪsɔɹiˌnoʊt/

noun

A document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money to someone else, often with the deadline and interest fees; the primary purposes of a promissory note are to evidence the debt obligation incurred, and to establish terms for payment thereof.

“Near-synonym: IOU”

Similar
note payableIOUnotenote of hand
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Meanings

nounpromissory note (plural promissory notes)

plural promissory notes

  1. businessA document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money to someone else, often with the deadline and interest fees; the primary purposes of a promissory note are to evidence the debt obligation incurred, and to establish terms for payment thereof.

    Near-synonym: IOU

    Synonyms: note payable, IOU

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money to someone else, often with the deadline and interest fees; the primary purposes of a promissory note are to evidence the debt obligation incurred, and to establish terms for payment thereof.

Similar
note payableIOU

More synonyms by meaning

nouna promise to pay a specified amount on demand or at a certain time

Similar
notenote of hand
Broader
debt instrumentobligationcertificate of indebtedness
Also see
notenote of handnote payable

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Bulgarian запис на заповед
  • запис на заповед (zapis na zapoved)document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Chinese Mandarin 本票, 期票
  • 本票 (běnpiào)document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • 期票 (qípiào)document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Czech směnka
  • směnkadocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Danish egenveksel, solaveksel
  • egenvekseldocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • solavekseldocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • gældsbrevdocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Dutch orderbriefje
  • orderbriefjedocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Finnish oma vekseli
  • oma vekselidocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
French billet à ordre
  • billet à ordredocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
German Solawechsel, Eigenwechsel
  • Solawechseldocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • Eigenwechseldocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Greek υποσχετικό γραμμάτιο, γραμμάτιο
  • υποσχετικό γραμμάτιο (yposchetikó grammátio)document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • γραμμάτιο (grammátio)document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Hungarian saját váltó, kötelezvény
  • saját váltódocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • kötelezvénydocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • ígérvénydocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Indonesian surat sanggup bayar, surat perjanjian utang
  • surat sanggup bayardocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • surat perjanjian utangdocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Italian pagherò
  • pagheròdocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Japanese 約束手形, 約手
  • 約束手形 (yakusoku tegata)document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • 約手 (yakute)document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Latin syngrapha
  • syngraphadocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Latvian parādzīme
  • parādzīmedocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Malay nota janji, nota janji hutang
  • nota janjidocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • nota janji hutangdocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Polish weksel własny
  • weksel własnydocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Portuguese livrança, nota promissória
  • livrançadocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • nota promissóriadocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Punjabi ਵਸੀਕਾ
  • ਵਸੀਕਾ (vasīkā)document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Romanian bilet la ordin
  • bilet la ordindocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Russian ве́ксель, долгова́я распи́ска
  • ве́ксель (vékselʹ)document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • долгова́я распи́ска (dolgovája raspíska)document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Spanish pagaré
  • pagarédocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Swedish löpande skuldebrev
  • löpande skuldebrevdocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Tagalog pagare, kasulatang pangako
  • pagaredocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • kasulatang pangakodocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Thai ตั๋วสัญญาใช้เงิน
  • ตั๋วสัญญาใช้เงิน (dtǔua-sǎn-yaa-chái-ngən)document saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Turkish poliçe
  • poliçedocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Welsh addaweb, nodyn addewid
  • addawebdocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
  • nodyn addewiddocument saying that someone owes a specific amount of money
Cite this entry
APA

promissory note. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/promissory%20note

MLA

“promissory note.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/promissory%20note. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “promissory note,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/promissory%20note.

Source: promissory note on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.