non-payment

Meaning

1. 1noununcountable

   The failure to pay money that is owed, such as a bill, a fine or a debt.

   Grammar: Has no plural and no article: eviction for non-payment, not a non-payment.

   Patterns

   • non-payment of something
   • for non-payment
   • due to non-payment

   The tenants faced eviction for non-payment of rent.

   Non-payment of the fine can lead to a court summons.

   The service was cut off because of non-payment.

Common combinations

non-payment of rent

Non-payment of rent is the most common reason landlords start legal action.

penalty for non-payment

There is a late penalty for non-payment after thirty days.

cancelled for non-payment

His insurance was cancelled for non-payment, and he never noticed the warning letters.

risk of non-payment

Lenders charge higher interest when they see a risk of non-payment.

grounds of non-payment

The contract can be ended on the grounds of non-payment.

Synonyms and how they differ

default

Default is stronger and usually applies to loans or debts that have been left unpaid for a long time, whereas non-payment can describe a single missed bill.

delinquency

Delinquency is a more technical finance term for an account that is overdue, and it stresses lateness rather than a complete refusal to pay.

arrears

Arrears refers to the amount of money that is overdue, while non-payment names the failure itself.

Opposites

Word family

pay verb

to give money for something

payment noun

an amount of money paid, or the act of paying

payable adjective

due to be paid

nonpayer noun

a person who does not pay what they owe

Commonly confused: non-payment or underpayment?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “non-payment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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