owe to need to pay someone for something they have sold to you or because they have lent you money – used especially when talking about particular amounts of money:
You owe me $50. The football club still owes £2.3 million.be in debt to owe money, especially to several different companies – used when talking about a person’s financial situation:
She hates being in debt. We started getting deeper and deeper into debt.be overdrawn to owe an amount of money to your bank because you have taken more money out of an account than you have put in:
He received a letter saying he was overdrawn. The bank charged me even though I was only a few pence overdrawn.have an overdraft to be overdrawn, with the agreement of your bank:
When I finished college I had a big overdraft.be in the red informal to have spent more money than you have:
The firm is £190,000,000 in the red. [TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲
in the red adv. or
adj. phr.,
informal In an unprofitable way; so as to lose money.
A large number of American radio stations operate in the red. A rich man who has a farm or ranch often runs it in the red, but makes his money with his factory or business. Antonym: IN THE BLACK. (From the fact that people who keep business records usually write in red ink how much money they lose and in black ink how much money they gain.)
[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲