Meaning & use
indebted to
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
Feeling grateful to someone because they have helped you, often in an important way.
Grammar: Used after the verb be: be indebted to someone for something. The person or thing that helped follows 'to'.
Patterns
- be indebted to someone
- be indebted to someone for something
I am deeply indebted to my mentor for her patient guidance.
The whole team is indebted to the volunteers who worked through the night.
He felt indebted to the stranger who had paid his fare.
phrasefixed phrasefinance
Owing money to a person or organization.
Grammar: Often used in financial or legal contexts: be indebted to a bank or lender.
Patterns
- be indebted to a bank
- be heavily indebted to someone
The company is heavily indebted to several foreign banks.
After the loan, she was indebted to her brother for ten thousand dollars.
Common combinations
- deeply indebted to
- We are deeply indebted to the doctors who saved his life.
- indebted to someone for something
- She is indebted to her parents for their constant support.
- feel indebted to
- I feel indebted to everyone who encouraged me.
- forever indebted to
- The town will be forever indebted to the anonymous donor.
Synonyms and how they differ
- grateful to
- Use 'grateful to' for ordinary thanks; 'indebted to' suggests a stronger, lasting obligation.
- obliged to
- Similar, but 'obliged to' often sounds more formal and can also mean 'forced to do something'.
Word family
- indebtedness noun
- The state of owing money or gratitude.
Commonly confused: indebted to or in debt to?
indebted to vs in debt to
'In debt to' means only owing money; 'indebted to' can also mean grateful.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
The fixed pattern is 'indebted to someone for something'. The other prepositions do not fit this phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “indebted to”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.