Meaning & use
debt free
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Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
owing no money to anyone
Grammar: Used after a linking verb like be or become, or before a noun; it does not take -er or -est.
Patterns
- be debt free
- become debt free
- debt-free life
After ten years of hard work, they are finally debt free.
She dreams of a debt-free retirement.
The company became debt free after selling its factory.
Common combinations
- completely debt free
- By paying off the last loan, he was completely debt free.
- become debt free
- It took her five years to become debt free.
- debt-free status
- The charity announced its debt-free status last month.
- debt-free living
- They teach debt-free living to young couples.
Synonyms and how they differ
- clear
- Used in British English to mean owing nothing, especially in the phrase 'clear of debt'; it is less common than debt free in everyday American English.
- solvent
- A formal business term meaning able to pay all your debts; it focuses on current ability, while debt free means you have no debts at all.
Opposites
Commonly confused: debt free or debt-laden?
debt free vs debt-laden
This means heavily burdened with debt, the opposite of debt free. Do not confuse the two.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'debt free' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Debt free' is an adjective phrase used after 'be', so 'She is debt free after paying off her student loans' is correct. 'Debt freer' is wrong because the phrase is not comparable, and the other options break basic word order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “debt free”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.