arrears
arrears Lexical Profile
arrears Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Money that is owed and should already have been paid; an unpaid, overdue debt or financial obligation.
"The tenant was three months in arrears with the rent and faced possible eviction."
The state of being behind in fulfilling a duty, obligation, or accumulating workload.
"After a week of illness, the clerk struggled to clear the arrears of correspondence on her desk."
Word Nuance & Usage
The phrase 'in arrears' has two distinct meanings depending on context: in general usage, to be 'in arrears' means to be late or overdue with payments, whereas in accounting and payroll, to be paid 'in arrears' simply means being paid at the end of a work period rather than in advance.
• Rhymes for arrears
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Middle English arere ('behind, backward'), borrowed from Old French ariere, from Vulgar Latin *ad retro ('to the rear'), combining Latin ad ('to') and retro ('backward').