Debt
![Payday loan businesses lend money to customers, who then owe a debt to the payday loan company.](/Images/godic/202502/04/Payday_loan_shop_window4010.jpg")
![](/Images/godic/202502/04/Panorama_clip34011.jpg")
![](/Images/godic/202502/04/Coin_of_Maximian4011.jpg")
Debt refers to something that is owed or due either physically or metaphorically. In the physical sense, the parties to debt are lenders (those who give) and borrowers (those who receive). In the metaphorical sense, debt refers to a moral obligation not based on physical value (e.g.: debt of gratitude).