arrears

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: ar=rears

OXFORD DICTIONARY

arrears, n.pl. an amount still outstanding or uncompleted, esp. work undone or a debt unpaid.

Idiom

in arrears (or arrear) behindhand, esp. in payment.

Derivative

arrearage n.

Etymology

ME (orig. as adv.) f. OF arere f. med.L adretro (as AD-, retro backwards): first used in phr. in arrear

THESAURUS

arrears

arrear, arrearage, back debts, back payments, bouncing check, decline, defalcation, default, defectiveness, deferred payments, deficit, deficit financing, delinquency, dollar gap, due, failure, falling short, imperfection, inadequacy, indebtedness, inferiority, insufficiency, liability, overdraft, short measure, shortage, shortcoming, shortfall, slump, underage

ROGET THESAURUS

arrears

Debt

N debt, obligation, liability, indebtment, debit, score, bill, check, account (credit), arrears, deferred payment, deficit, default, insolvency, bad debt, interest, premium, usance, usury, floating debt, floating capital, debtor, debitor, mortgagor, defaulter, borrower, indebted, liable, chargeable, answerable for, in debt, in embarrassed circumstances, in difficulties, incumbered, involved, involved in debt, plunged in debt, deep in debt, over one's head in debt, over head and ears in debt, deeply involved, fast tied up, insolvent, minus, out of pocket, unpaid, unrequited, unrewarded, owing, due, in arrear, outstanding, past due, aes alienum debitorem leve gravius inimicum facit, neither a borrower nor a lender be.