1. money that is owed and should have been paid earlier
逾期未付的款項；欠款
The tenant fell into arrears with his rent.
房客拖欠了租金。
The company is struggling to pay off its tax arrears.
該公司正努力償還其拖欠的稅款。
Arrears Meaning（定義、用法、例句與發音）
arrears
noun
快速理解
What does "Arrears" mean?What are 2-3 core uses of "Arrears"?
指逾期未付的款項或未履行的義務，常用於財務與法律情境。
- 1
逾期未付款
EN: Money that is owed and should have been paid earlier.
翻譯: 指到期應付但尚未支付的款項。
- 2
拖欠狀態
EN: The state of being behind in fulfilling financial obligations.
翻譯: 指處於拖欠款項或未履行財務義務的狀態。
- 3
累積欠款
EN: An accumulated overdue debt, such as rent or loan payments.
翻譯: 指累積的逾期債務，例如租金或貸款。
- 4
法律義務未履行
EN: Unfulfilled legal or contractual duties that are past due.
翻譯: 指已過期但尚未履行的法律或合約義務。
小提醒：注意：片語 "in arrears" 常用來描述「拖欠款項」的狀態，而非指具體金額。例如："Your rent is in arrears."（你的租金拖欠未付。）
發音（How to Pronounce "Arrears" in English）
How to pronounce "Arrears" in English?"Arrears" US vs UK pronunciation
點擊下方的 US / UK 按鈕可播放發音。
Real-life Examples of "Arrears" from YouTube Videos
暫無 YouTube 示例，重新生成該詞頁可自動補上 1 條。
Definitions（定義）
What are the definitions of "Arrears"?How does "Arrears" change by context?
2. the state of being behind in fulfilling one's obligations, especially payments
（尤指付款）拖欠的狀態
The account is in arrears by three months.
該帳戶已拖欠三個月。
If you fall into arrears, your service may be suspended.
如果您拖欠款項，您的服務可能會被暫停。
3. work or tasks that are still waiting to be completed
待完成的工作；積壓的事務
After her vacation, she had to deal with a large arrears of emails.
度假回來後，她必須處理大量積壓的電子郵件。
The legal department is working through an arrears of cases.
法律部門正在處理積壓的案件。
4. payment made at the end of a period for work done or services provided during that period
期末支付的款項（針對該期間已完成的工作或服務）
Interest on the loan is paid in arrears, at the end of each quarter.
這筆貸款的利息在每季末支付。
The salary is paid in arrears on the last day of the month.
薪資於每月最後一天支付。
Grammar & Patterns（句型）
What are common sentence patterns for "Arrears"?How to make natural sentences with "Arrears"?
| Pattern | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| in arrears | 拖欠；逾期未付 | The tenant is three months in arrears on his rent. (這位房客的租金已拖欠三個月。) |
| fall into arrears | 陷入拖欠狀態 | If you fall into arrears, your credit score will be affected. (如果你陷入拖欠狀態，你的信用評分將會受到影響。) |
| pay off the arrears | 付清欠款 | He finally managed to pay off the arrears on his loan. (他終於設法付清了貸款的欠款。) |
| arrears of + [noun] (e.g., rent, payment, tax) | ...的欠款 | The company is dealing with significant arrears of tax. (該公司正在處理大筆的稅款欠款。) |
| be paid in arrears | 事後支付；期末支付 | Employees' bonuses are paid in arrears at the end of the fiscal year. (員工的獎金在財政年度結束時事後支付。) |
用法說明
How is "Arrears" different from similar structures?What usage mistakes are common with "Arrears"?
in arrears vs. arrears of
- in arrears 是標準的片語，表示「拖欠款項」或「在到期後支付」的狀態。它通常用作副詞或形容詞片語。
- arrears of 後面接拖欠的具體事物（如金錢、時間），用來指明拖欠的內容或數量。
- 在描述某人拖欠款項時，常用結構是 be in arrears (with...)。
- 在描述款項支付方式時，in arrears 表示「事後支付」，與 in advance（預付）相對。
對比例句： EN: The tenant is three months in arrears with his rent. 翻譯: 這位房客的租金已經拖欠了三個月。
EN:He has arrears of $500 on his credit card bill.
翻譯:他的信用卡帳單有 500 元的欠款。
總結建議
在大多數表示「拖欠」的情況下，使用片語 in arrears，而 arrears of 則用於具體說明拖欠的項目或金額。
易混淆對比
What is the difference between "Arrears" and similar words?How to choose "Arrears" vs alternatives?
arrears vs debt
arrears 指逾期未付的款項，強調「拖欠」狀態；debt 泛指任何債務，範圍更廣。
arrears vs overdue
arrears 是名詞，指拖欠的款項；overdue 是形容詞，描述逾期狀態。
arrears vs balance
arrears 指逾期未付的欠款；balance 指帳戶的餘額，可能是正或負。
口語用法
How is "Arrears" used in spoken English?What is the spoken vs formal difference for "Arrears"?
引述
在對話中，當引述或提及他人關於欠款或落後狀況的說法時，常用此字。 EN: She kept saying she was in arrears with her rent, which worried everyone. 翻譯: 她一直說她的租金拖欠了，這讓大家都很擔心。
EN:His exact words were, "If we fall into arrears, the service will be cut off."
翻譯:他的原話是：「如果我們拖欠款項，服務就會被切斷。」
語氣強調
用於強調債務或義務的累積性與嚴重性，常與「深陷」、「積欠」等詞連用。 EN: We are seriously in arrears this quarter; we need to act fast. 翻譯: 我們本季的拖欠情況非常嚴重，必須趕快採取行動。
EN:The project has fallen months into arrears, and the client is furious.
翻譯:這個專案已經落後好幾個月了，客戶非常生氣。
停頓填充
在組織思緒或尋找確切詞語時，可用此字作為短暫停頓的一部分，通常接在「you know...」或「like...」之後。 EN: The payment situation is, you know... in arrears, so we have to discuss it. 翻譯: 付款狀況就是，你知道的... 拖欠了，所以我們必須討論一下。
EN:It's not just late, it's like... arrears, and that's a bigger problem.
翻譯:這不只是延遲，而是像... 累積欠款，那是個更大的問題。
正式書寫注意：在正式書面報告、法律文件或財務聲明中，應避免使用口語化的引述或填充停頓的用法。建議直接使用「in arrears」、「fall into arrears」等標準片語，並提供具體數據與時間範圍，以保持專業與準確性。
常見短語
What common collocations use "Arrears"?What fixed phrases with "Arrears" should I remember?
in arrears
prepositional phrase
拖欠款項的；逾期未付的
pay off the arrears
verb phrase
付清欠款
rent arrears
noun phrase
租金欠款
fall into arrears
verb phrase
陷入拖欠狀態
tax arrears
noun phrase
稅款欠繳
arrears of pay
noun phrase
薪資欠款
clear the arrears
verb phrase
清償欠款
child support arrears
noun phrase
子女撫養費欠款
常見錯誤
What are common mistakes with "Arrears"?Which "Arrears" sentences look correct but are wrong?
×I have to pay the arrears of my rent.
✓I have to pay my rent arrears.
「arrears」通常作為複數名詞使用，並常直接跟在所欠款項的名詞（如 rent, tax, payment）後面，形成複合名詞結構，而非使用介系詞 "of" 來連接。
×My salary is paid with arrears.
✓My salary is paid in arrears.
表示「事後支付」或「拖欠」的固定片語是 "in arrears"，而非 "with arrears"。介系詞 "in" 在此為固定用法。
×He is in an arrear with his child support.
✓He is in arrears with his child support.
「arrears」在此情境下恆為複數形式，不可使用單數 "arrear"。片語 "in arrears with (something)" 表示拖欠某項款項。
×We need to calculate the arrears amount.
✓We need to calculate the amount of arrears.
雖然 "rent arrears" 這類複合名詞很常見，但當要強調「欠款的數額」時，更自然的說法是 "the amount of arrears" 或 "the arrears"，而非 "arrears amount"。
×The payment is late and now it's an arrear.
✓The payment is overdue and now it's in arrears.
描述款項狀態時，更地道的說法是款項 "is in arrears"（處於拖欠狀態）或 "is overdue"（逾期）。將拖欠的款項直接稱為 "an arrear" 並不自然。
詞形變化
What are the word forms of "Arrears"?What are tense/participle forms of "Arrears"?