iou

noun
UK: /ˌaɪ.oʊˈjuː/
US: /ˌaɪ.oʊˈjuː/

  1. A written paper to show that you owe someone money.

    1. He gave me an IOU for twenty dollars. [ ] [ ]
    2. I found an old IOU in my drawer from a friend who borrowed money. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

marker promissory note chit
iou verb

  1. To formally acknowledge a debt to someone with a signed note.

    1. I will IOU him the money next week. [ ] [ ]
    2. She had to IOU her brother after forgetting her wallet at home today. [ ] [ ]
iou idiom

  1. An informal promise or assurance of future action or repayment.

    1. Consider this project my IOU to the team. [ ] [ ]
    2. After his help, I felt I was under an IOU to support his campaign. [ ] [ ]
iou abbreviation

  1. Abbreviation for 'I owe you'.

    1. The note simply said 'IOU $50'. [ ] [ ]
    2. The contract included an IOU for services to be rendered in the future. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The phonetic transcription of "iou" is /ˌaɪ.oʊˈjuː/ in British English and /ˌaɪ.oʊˈjuː/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "iou": marker, promissory note, chit.

Example usage of "iou": "He gave me an IOU for twenty dollars.". More examples on the page.