IOU Definition

īō-yo͝o
noun
An informally written, signed acknowledgment of a specified debt, characteristically bearing the letters IOU.
Webster's New World

An informal written note promising to pay the stated sum.

When David couldn't afford to match the money in the poker pot, he added an IOU for the remaining amount instead.
Wiktionary
abbreviation

I owe you.

Customarily, if you borrow $10 for lunch from a coworker, writing IOU $10 on a yellow sticky note acts as a legal promissory note that you will repay said amount on payday.
Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of IOU

Noun

Singular:
IOU
Plural:
-ious

Origin of IOU

  • From the pronunciation of "I owe you", not the initial letters.

    From Wiktionary

  • From the pronunciation of I owe you

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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