arrearage

The company is working to clear its arrearage on the overdue invoices.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Unpaid debt or overdue amount: "arrearage" refers to money that is owed and remains unpaid after the due date, often in the context of financial accounts or obligations.
   • A state of being behind: It can also describe a condition of delay or being in arrears, such as a backlog of work or unfinished tasks.
   • Reserve or store: In older usage, "arrearage" can mean a supply or stock of something kept in reserve.

Usage Examples

• Unpaid debt:
  • The tenant’s arrearage on rent has accumulated to three months. (The unpaid rent owed by the tenant has grown to three months’ worth.)
• State of being behind:
  • The office has an arrearage of paperwork that needs to be processed. (There is a backlog of unfinished documents.)
• Reserve:
  • The farmer kept an arrearage of grain for the winter. (The farmer stored a reserve of grain.)

Advanced Usage

• "in arrearage": in a state of being behind or overdue.
  • The company is in arrearage on its loan payments. (The company has not made its loan payments on time.)
• "arrearage of work": a backlog of tasks or obligations.
  • The holiday caused an arrearage of orders that took weeks to clear. (The holiday created a backlog of orders.)

Variants and Related Words

• Arrear (n): a single overdue payment or debt, often used in plural "arrears".
  • He paid off the arrears on his mortgage. (He settled the overdue mortgage payments.)
• Arrears (n pl): the state of being behind in payments; unpaid debts.
  • She fell into arrears on her credit card bills. (She became behind on her credit card payments.)

Synonyms

• Debt: an amount of money owed.
• Backlog: an accumulation of unfinished work or unpaid obligations.
• Overdue amount: money that should have been paid earlier.
• Delinquency: failure to pay a debt on time.

Related Idioms

• In arrears: behind in paying a debt or fulfilling an obligation.
  • The landlord warned the tenant for being in arrears. (The landlord warned the tenant for being late on rent.)
• Arrearage of time: a period of delay or tardiness (rare, literary).
  • The project suffered from an arrearage of time due to bad weather. (The project was delayed.)