(US, finance) A corporate debt instrument that is not secured by physical assets or collateral, relying solely on the general creditworthiness and reputation of the issuer.

The corporation issued a debenture to finance its expansion without pledging any specific assets.

(chiefly British, finance) A long-term security yielding a fixed rate of interest, issued by a company and secured by a charge on its assets.

He placed his savings in a debenture that was secured on the firm's property.

(historical, British) A voucher issued by the customs authorities authorizing a drawback or refund on duties paid on imported goods that are subsequently exported.

The merchant presented a debenture at the customs house to reclaim the duty after re-exporting the cloth.

debentureadjective

Relating to or consisting of debentures.

The firm announced a debenture issue worth $50 million.