debt service

noun

: the amount of interest and sinking fund payments due annually on long-term debt

Examples of debt service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The district has more than $9 billion of existing long-term debt requiring over $800 million in annual debt service payments, according to a CPS budget presentation. Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 24 July 2025 The city’s utility fund includes individual funds for water and wastewater, solid waste, utility capital projects and debt service. Mason Rouser, Austin American Statesman, 10 July 2025 This decline was not enough to stave off rising debt service ratios in 2024, as calculations by the Federal Reserve show. Christian Weller, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025 The city also adheres to a debt service policy that limits annual payments to no more than 15% of the city’s tax revenues. Antonio Weiss, New York Daily News, 15 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for debt service

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of debt service was in 1929

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Cite this Entry

“Debt service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debt%20service. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

Legal Definition

debt service

noun
: the amount of interest and principal payments due annually on long-term debt
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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