defray

verb

de·​fray di-ˈfrā 

dē-

defrayed; defraying; defrays

transitive verb

1

: to provide for the payment of : pay

sold advertising on his website to help defray the cost of running it

2

archaic : to bear the expenses of (a person)

defrayable

di-ˈfrā-ə-bəl 

dē-

adjective

defrayal

di-ˈfrā(-ə)l 

dē-

noun

Examples of defray in a Sentence

This will defray the costs.

Recent Examples on the Web

Savvy travelers already know that rewards can defray the cost of a trip (by using points and miles or redeeming cash back). —Chris Dong, AFAR Media, 23 Apr. 2025

The $25 million greens fee the sponsors fork over effectively defrays CBS’ production costs, while providing access to sports TV’s most clutter-free ad environment. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 Apr. 2025

There are countless other fintechs and service providers who fall into a similar category, and many of them might be willing to partner with your company in a way that defrays AI development costs as a means of building a stronger relationship with you, the client. —Chris Perry, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025

The rebates defray the cost of retrofitting homes and upgrading appliances to be more energy efficient. —Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French deffroyer, from des- de- + frayer to expend, from Old French, from frais, plural of fret, frait expenditure, literally, damage by breaking, from Latin fractum, neuter of fractus, past participle of frangere to break — more at break

First Known Use

1536, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for defray

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids Definition

defray

verb

de·​fray di-ˈfrā 

: to pay or provide for the payment of

more money to defray expenses