discount

1 of 3

noun

dis·​count ˈdi-ˌskau̇nt How to pronounce discount (audio)
1
: a reduction made from the gross (see gross entry 1 sense 3b) amount or value of something: such as
a(1)
: a reduction made from a regular or list price
offering customers a ten percent discount
buy tickets at a discount
(2)
: a proportionate deduction from a debt account usually made for cash or prompt payment
b
: a deduction made for interest in advancing money upon or purchasing a bill or note not due
2
: the act or practice of discounting (see discount entry 2)
3
: a deduction taken or allowance made
… we may … have to make very heavy discount, or even sometimes to reject our author's conclusions altogether.G. G. Coulton

discount

2 of 3

verb

discounted; discounting; discounts

transitive verb

1
a
: to make a deduction (see deduction sense 1a) from usually for cash or prompt payment
a discounted price
b
: to sell or offer for sale at a discount (see discount entry 1 sense 1)
discounting last year's model
2
: to lend money on after deducting the discount
3
a
: to leave out of account or consideration : disregard
discount the possibility that the situation may worsen
its effect cannot be entirely discounted
b
: to minimize the importance of
shouldn't discount his contributions
c(1)
: to make allowance (see allowance entry 1 sense 2) for bias or exaggeration in
discount most of their claims
(2)
: to view with doubt
discount a rumor
d
: to anticipate or take into account (something, such as a future event) in present calculations or planning
… mail came chiefly from those organized groups whose opposition had already been discountedTime

intransitive verb

: to give or make discounts (see discount entry 1)
stores planning to discount after the holidays
discounter
ˈdi-ˌskau̇n-tər How to pronounce discount (audio)
di-ˈskau̇n-
noun

discount

3 of 3

adjective

dis·​count ˈdi-ˌskau̇nt How to pronounce discount (audio)
1
a
: selling goods or services for less than their regular or list price : selling goods or services at a discount (see discount entry 1 sense 1a(1))
discount stores
a discount broker
discount airlines
b
: offered or sold at a discount
discount tickets
2
: reflecting a discount
discount prices

Examples of discount in a Sentence

Noun The store offers a two percent discount when customers pay in cash. a discount of 20% from the original price Verb The vacation plan included a discounted price on our hotel room. Car dealers are heavily discounting last year's unsold models. These threats cannot be entirely discounted.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Workers at a southwestern Wisconsin Dollar General walked out briefly in protest of the discount retailer’s donation policy and worker conditions at the store. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2024 The discount retailer reported earnings Thursday that beat Wall Street expectations, saying customers are buying groceries and other essentials. Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 Learn more about all of the best Peacock streaming deals, including student discounts, here. Danielle Directo-Meston, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 For six days, shoppers can dive into juicy discounts for nearly every category — including fashion, home, beauty, and electronics. Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 Restaurants from Burger King to California Pizza Kitchen are offering deals and discounts on Thursday, March 14. Ramishah Maruf, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 Dollar Tree plans to shutter nearly 1,000 Family Dollar stores as the discount retailer moves to revamp its business by expanding its food aisles and array of merchandise in the $3 to $5 range. Jaclyn Peiser, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 Mom arrested after mixing a drink to give to child's bully at Texas school, officials say 'Rust' armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed found guilty of involuntary manslaughter Ground cinnamon sold at discount retailers contaminated with lead, FDA urges recall What time is the 2024 State of the Union? James Powel, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2024 From that recall, the FDA initiated a survey of ground cinnamon from discount retailers and recommended the recall of products with lead levels ranging from 2.03 to 3.4 parts per million (ppm). Detroit Free Press, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
Best Buy is discounting a Philips Hue starter kit containing three color A19 bulbs, a Hue Bridge, and a wall-mountable dimmer switch for $119.99 ($50 off). Quentyn Kennemer, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2024 Conveniently, Target just discounted 900+ travel essentials, including carry-on spinners, weekender bags, packing cubes, and more. Megan Schaltegger, Travel + Leisure, 29 Feb. 2024 What can be surmised by the Red Carpet Power Rankings results seems to be rooted in two ideas: that high-profile winners throughout the awards season continue to garner interest; and the power of advance promotion can’t be discounted. Laurie Brookins, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024 Great Wolf Lodge: family suite discounts Great Wolf Lodge will offer a $29 per person deal on Thursday, Feb. 29, only. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 28 Feb. 2024 Such individuals may engage in an extreme form of confirmation bias, a tendency to seek information that confirms one’s pre-existing beliefs while ignoring or discounting contradictory evidence. Mark Travers, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 For North Shore residents on the hunt for winter-and-wallet-friendly activities in the coming days, consider visiting the following nearby museums with free and discounted prices between Jan. 18 and Jan. 28. Claudia Levens, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 Head to Amazon’s Internet Famous section to explore the plethora of viral products, then make sure to checkout quickly to grab our picks while prices are discounted. Nicola Fumo, Peoplemag, 26 Feb. 2024 New York Giants – Rome Odunze, WR, Washington Can't discount a quarterback here, especially if Daniels is still available. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Those ties have been buoyed by discount Russian oil purchases from China and sanctions-hit Russia’s increasing reliance on Chinese consumer goods amid its economic isolation. Simone McCarthy, CNN, 8 Feb. 2024 But that’s still a discount-rack price for a car that cost around $110,000 when new. Mike Sutton, Car and Driver, 5 May 2022 At the gate only are discount senior tickets for $8, a weekend pass for $25 and a four-to-a-car admission of $55. Kathy Cichon, chicagotribune.com, 28 July 2021 The stories energized widespread discussion of the lab-leak theory on social media, which quickly became meshed with theories about bioweapons research — a strain of speculation that scientists still strongly discount. Washington Post, 10 June 2021 Select facial cleansers, serums, and moisturizers are marked 30 percent off, including this $8 (post-discount) gem. Sarah Han, Allure, 9 Apr. 2021 Black Friday isn't the only discount day worth counting down to. Brittney Morgan, House Beautiful, 7 Jan. 2020 According to BBC News’ Helen Briggs, the research doesn’t fully discount climate change’s contribution to cave bears’ extinction. Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, 16 Aug. 2019 And discount German grocery chain Aldi is growing rapidly in the United States. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 27 June 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discount.' 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

Verb, Noun, and Adjective

modification of French décompter, from Old French desconter, from Medieval Latin discomputare, from Latin dis- + computare to count — more at count

First Known Use

Noun

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1621, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of discount was in 1621

Dictionary Entries Near discount

Cite this Entry

“Discount.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discount. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

discount

1 of 2 noun
dis·​count ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt How to pronounce discount (audio)
: an amount taken off a regular price
a ten percent discount for all employees

discount

2 of 2 verb
1
a
: to lower the amount of a bill, debt, or charge
b
: to sell or offer for sale at a lowered price
2
a
: minimize sense 2b
shouldn't discount the importance of studying
b
: to believe only partly : view with doubt
discount the rumors
discountable
-ə-bəl
adjective

Legal Definition

discount

1 of 3 noun
dis·​count ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt How to pronounce discount (audio)
: a reduction made from the gross amount or value of something: as
a
: a reduction made from a regular or list price or a proportionate deduction from a debt account usually made for prompt payment or for payment in cash
b
: a reduction made for interest in advancing money upon or purchasing a note not yet due
c
: a reduction in the price of a bond see also discount bond at bond sense 2
d
: the sale of securities that are issued below and redeemed at face value compare premium sense 1

discount

2 of 3 transitive verb
1
a
: to make a deduction from usually for cash or prompt payment
b
: to sell or offer at a lowered price
2
: to lend money on after deducting a discount
banks discount negotiable instruments
3
: to take into account (a future event or prospect) in making present calculations

intransitive verb

: to give or make discounts

discount

3 of 3 adjective
dis·​count ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt How to pronounce discount (audio)
1
a
: selling goods or services at a discount
a discount broker
b
: offered or sold at a discount
discount securities
2
: reflecting a discount
the discount price

More from Merriam-Webster on discount

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