arrear

No — say "He paid his arrears". When referring to the money owed, the plural form 'arrears' is almost always used.

Definition

n. money that you owe because you did not pay it on time. It is often used to describe late rent or loan payments.

n. an unpaid or overdue debt; the state of being behind in payments. Typically used in the plural form to refer to the outstanding balance itself.

simple

“He is in arrears with his rent.”

contextual

“The company was forced to declare bankruptcy after falling into significant arrears with its primary suppliers.”

complex

“The court ordered the tenant to settle all outstanding arrears within thirty days or face immediate eviction from the commercial premises.”

Commonly used in the plural ('arrears') and often appears in the phrase 'in arrears'.

He paid his arrear

He paid his arrears

When referring to the money owed, the plural form 'arrears' is almost always used.

From Middle English arere, from Old French arere or ariere, from Vulgar Latin ad retro, literally “to the rear”.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Finance