What does debited mean?
"Debited" is the past simple and past participle of the verb "debit," meaning to charge a sum of money against an account. When a bank debits an account, it removes funds to pay for a purchase, fee, bill, or automatic payment, recording the amount on the debit side of the ledger. The term is central to everyday banking — direct debits, card payments, and service charges all show up as amounts debited — and it is equally important in accounting, where every transaction involves both a debit and a credit entry. The word derives from the Latin "debere," meaning "to owe," the same root behind "debt" and "debenture." Because debiting is the opposite of crediting, the two terms are often contrasted, and errors such as being "wrongly debited" are a common source of customer disputes. Precise and formal in register, the word is indispensable for anyone navigating bank statements, invoices, or financial records.
verb (past simple and past participle of "debit")Charged or entered as a debit in an account; having a sum of money taken out of an account.
- To have charged a sum of money against an account (past tense of "debit").
"The bank debited her account for the monthly subscription fee without notice."
"The subscription fee was debited automatically on the first of each month."
"The cashier had debited the wrong account and had to reverse the transaction."
Every time your bank says you were "debited," you're hearing Latin: the word traces back to "debere" — to owe — the same root that gave us "debt."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of debited
"Debited" comes from "debit," which English adopted from Latin "debitum," meaning "something owed," the past participle of "debere" ("to owe"). The term entered English in the 17th century through the vocabulary of commerce and double-entry bookkeeping, where each transaction is recorded as either a debit or a credit. Its Latin root also produced "debt," "due," and "debenture," making it part of a small family of words about owing money.
Related word forms
How debited is actually used
"Debited" is standard banking and accounting terminology, used almost exclusively in financial contexts. It is neutral in tone but frequently appears in customer complaints about erroneous charges ("I was wrongly debited"). In double-entry bookkeeping, debits and credits are technical opposites.
Easily confused with debited
"Credited" means money was added to an account, while "debited" means it was subtracted.