debenture
noun
de·ben·ture
di-ˈben-chər 
1
British
: a corporate security other than an equity security : bond
2
: a bond backed by the general credit of the issuer rather than a specific lien on particular assets
Examples of debenture in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Centre Court debentures for 2026 to 2030 inclusive were issued at £116,000 ($156,462 at the current rate).
—
Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 12 July 2025
Over the decades, the debentures have covered costs of projects such as retractable roofs and new courts.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 2 July 2025
The booming debenture market fits into an exploding sports market in general, Bloomberg reported.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 2 July 2025
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading: Plug Power — The hydrogen fuel cell developer jumped 26% after signing a deal to issue up to $525 million in secured debentures.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2025
The company has raised funds through the issuance of convertible debentures and notes payable, with net proceeds of $2,305,000 used to support its data center development.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2025
Sunbeam’s 1997 10K, issued two weeks before die sale of the debentures, shows that in December 1997 Sunbeam sold $60 million in accounts receivable to raise cash.
—Matt Schifrin, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
The restructuring included the issuance of new secured and unsecured debentures.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2025
The deal with Perelman was financed in part by $2 billion (face amount) of 5% zero coupon convertible debentures, raising $750 million, convertible into Sunbeam stock at a price of $57 per share.
—Matt Schifrin, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
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Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 12 July 2025
Over the decades, the debentures have covered costs of projects such as retractable roofs and new courts.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 2 July 2025
The booming debenture market fits into an exploding sports market in general, Bloomberg reported.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 2 July 2025
Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading: Plug Power — The hydrogen fuel cell developer jumped 26% after signing a deal to issue up to $525 million in secured debentures.
—Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2025
The company has raised funds through the issuance of convertible debentures and notes payable, with net proceeds of $2,305,000 used to support its data center development.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 2 Apr. 2025
Sunbeam’s 1997 10K, issued two weeks before die sale of the debentures, shows that in December 1997 Sunbeam sold $60 million in accounts receivable to raise cash.
—Matt Schifrin, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
The restructuring included the issuance of new secured and unsecured debentures.
—Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 24 Mar. 2025
The deal with Perelman was financed in part by $2 billion (face amount) of 5% zero coupon convertible debentures, raising $750 million, convertible into Sunbeam stock at a price of $57 per share.
—Matt Schifrin, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Debenture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debenture. Accessed 23 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
debenture
noun
de·ben·ture
di-ˈben-chər
: an unsecured bond that is backed by the issuer's general credit rather than a specific lien
called also debenture bond
see also indenture compare mortgage bond at bondNote: Debentures are often convertible to stocks.
Etymology
Anglo-French debentour and Medieval Latin debentura, perhaps from Latin debentur they are owed
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