delinquency
noun
de·lin·quen·cy
di-ˈliŋ-kwən-sē 
-ˈlin-
plural delinquencies
1
a
: a delinquent act
b
: conduct that is out of accord with accepted behavior or the law
especially
: juvenile delinquency
2
: a debt on which payment is overdue
Synonyms
Examples of delinquency in a Sentence
They tried to steer him away from delinquency by giving him a job in their store.
She's been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
a series of minor delinquencies
a high rate of delinquency
Recent Examples on the Web
If all of those loans default, the CMBS office delinquency rate could rise from the current 6.2 percent to more than 13 percent.
—
Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
The challenges from this dynamic are seen in the rapidly rising delinquency rates on credit card payments.
—Ivan Illan, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Two years after the Federal Reserve began hiking interest rates to tame prices, delinquency rates on credit cards and auto loans are the highest in more than a decade.
—Claire Ballentine, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024
Credit card delinquencies, the amount of time in which cardholders fall behind in making payments, also increased.
—USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
The difference is more than academic, since Americans owe more than $1 trillion in credit card debt and delinquencies are rising.
—Ann Carrns, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
Between 1979 and 2023, the delinquency rate averaged 5.25%.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
The authors found higher rates of mortgage delinquencies after storms in counties that were dominated by those insurers.
—Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
More New Yorkers have stopped paying their property taxes — a troubling trend since the onset of the pandemic that city officials attribute to the end of a tax-lien sales program that punishes delinquency.
—Martin Z. Braun, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
Rachel Siegel, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024
The challenges from this dynamic are seen in the rapidly rising delinquency rates on credit card payments.
—Ivan Illan, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Two years after the Federal Reserve began hiking interest rates to tame prices, delinquency rates on credit cards and auto loans are the highest in more than a decade.
—Claire Ballentine, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024
Credit card delinquencies, the amount of time in which cardholders fall behind in making payments, also increased.
—USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
The difference is more than academic, since Americans owe more than $1 trillion in credit card debt and delinquencies are rising.
—Ann Carrns, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2024
Between 1979 and 2023, the delinquency rate averaged 5.25%.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2024
The authors found higher rates of mortgage delinquencies after storms in counties that were dominated by those insurers.
—Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
More New Yorkers have stopped paying their property taxes — a troubling trend since the onset of the pandemic that city officials attribute to the end of a tax-lien sales program that punishes delinquency.
—Martin Z. Braun, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'delinquency.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near delinquency
Cite this Entry
“Delinquency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delinquency. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
delinquency
noun
de·lin·quen·cy
di-ˈliŋ-kwən-sē, -ˈlin-
plural delinquencies
: conduct that is out of accord with accepted behavior or the law
especially
: juvenile delinquency
Legal Definition
delinquency
noun
de·lin·quen·cy
di-ˈliŋ-kwən-sē
plural delinquencies
1
a
: the quality or state of being delinquent
b
: juvenile delinquency
contributing to the delinquency of a minor
2
: a debt on which payment is overdue
consumer loan delinquencies
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