reimburse

verb

re·​im·​burse ˌrē-əm-ˈbərs How to pronounce reimburse (audio)
reimbursed; reimbursing

transitive verb

1
: to pay back to someone : repay
reimburse travel expenses
2
: to make restoration or payment of an equivalent to
reimburse him for his traveling expenses
reimbursable adjective
reimbursement noun
Choose the Right Synonym for reimburse

pay, compensate, remunerate, satisfy, reimburse, indemnify, repay, recompense mean to give money or its equivalent in return for something.

pay implies the discharge of an obligation incurred.

paid their bills

compensate implies a making up for services rendered.

an attorney well compensated for her services

remunerate clearly suggests paying for services rendered and may extend to payment that is generous or not contracted for.

promised to remunerate the searchers handsomely

satisfy implies paying a person what is required by law.

all creditors will be satisfied in full

reimburse implies a return of money that has been spent for another's benefit.

reimbursed employees for expenses

indemnify implies making good a loss suffered through accident, disaster, warfare.

indemnified the families of the dead miners

repay stresses paying back an equivalent in kind or amount.

repay a favor with a favor

recompense suggests due return in amends, friendly repayment, or reward.

passengers were recompensed for the delay

Examples of reimburse in a Sentence

make sure you keep your receipts so we can reimburse you for your expenses
Recent Examples on the Web The feds won’t reimburse California $300 million for homeless housing amid COVID. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Officials created a website that shows which buses are running behind and vowed to reimburse families who make other travel arrangements for their children. Lauren Lumpkin, Washington Post, 11 Mar. 2024 One factor is that the Bronx has a higher percentage of residents on Medicaid, which reimburses doctors at lower rates than private insurance. Joseph Goldstein, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 Insurance companies can invest the float, sometimes for years, before insurance losses are reimbursed. Bill Stone, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2024 Within a day of Public Investigator reaching out to Take 5, company spokesperson Taylor Blanchard responded and said the company was canceling Olson’s membership and reimbursing him for January and February's membership fees. Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024 Cohen made the payment to Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election and was later reimbursed by Trump through payments whose purpose was disguised through false business records, according to prosecutors. Aysha Bagchi, USA TODAY, 2 Mar. 2024 Family members in the current attendant care model get paid an hourly wage by third-party providers, who get reimbursed by Medicaid. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024 Lee said the city could justify using some of its $215 million in reserves to cover ordinary expenses and plan to restore those reserves once reimbursed. David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'reimburse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

re- + obsolete English imburse to put in the pocket, pay, from Medieval Latin imbursare, from Latin in- in- + Medieval Latin bursa purse — more at purse

First Known Use

1511, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of reimburse was in 1511

Dictionary Entries Near reimburse

Cite this Entry

“Reimburse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reimburse. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

reimburse

verb
re·​im·​burse ˌrē-əm-ˈbərs How to pronounce reimburse (audio)
reimbursed; reimbursing
: to pay back : repay
reimburse travel expenses
reimbursable adjective
reimbursement noun
Etymology

from re- "again, back" and obsolete imburse "pay, put in the pocket," from Latin imbursare (same meaning), from earlier in- "in" and bursa "purse, small leather bag" — related to disburse, purse

Legal Definition

reimburse

transitive verb
re·​im·​burse ˌrē-əm-ˈbərs How to pronounce reimburse (audio)
reimbursed; reimbursing
1
: to pay back (a sum lost or expended) to someone
will reimburse the court costs
2
: to make restoration or payment of an equivalent to
reimburse the employee for travel expenses
reimbursement noun

More from Merriam-Webster on reimburse

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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