| Part of Speech | Definition | |
| Noun | 1. That which is behind in payment, or which remains unpaid, though due; esp. a remainder, or balance which remains due when some part has been paid; arrearage; -- commonly used in the plural, as, arrears of rent, wages, or taxes.[Websters]. | |
| Adverb | 1. To or in the rear; behind; backwards.[Websters]. | |
| Top | ||
Date "ARREAR" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1659. (references) |
Specialty Definition: ARREAR
| Domain | Definition | ||
| Noah Webster | [Adverb] Behind; at the hinder part. In this sense obsolete. But from this use, we retain the word as a noun in the phrase, in arrear, to signify behind in payment.. Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary. | ||
| Wiktionary | 1: [Adverb] (Can we verify(+) this sense?) behind, backward (--) rent considerably in arrear, and heartless landlady threatening expulsion (--) -- Dickens: Our Mutual Friend. (references) | 2: [Noun] Unpaid debt. (references) | 3: [Noun] Work to be done, obligation. I have a large arrear of letters to write. -- J. D. Forbes. My own work, with its manifold arrears, took me all day to clear off. -- Stoker, Dracula. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
Common Expressions: ARREAR
| Expressions | Definition | ||
| In arrear | Behind; backward; behindhand; in debt. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. | ||
| Rent arrear | Rent in arrears; unpaid rent. --Blackstone. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary. | ||
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | Top | ||
