reimburse

verb

re·​im·​burse ˌrē-əm-ˈbərs 

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

ˌrē-əm-ˈbər-sə-bəl 

adjective

reimbursement

ˌrē-əm-ˈbərs-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• refund
• repay

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

States are reimbursed for work already completed to restore highways, which means there’s a natural lag as projects are finished. —Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024

The third party that Hall sold the house to, a real estate investor, also was reimbursed from title insurance. —Nollyanne Delacruz, The Mercury News, 5 Apr. 2024

Several credit cards will reimburse card holders for the application fee, including those from American Express, Capital One, Bank of America, and Chase. —Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 2 Apr. 2024

Yamane was reimbursed $1,103 for three days’ worth of hotel and car rental expenses for the Las Vegas trip. —Tammy Murga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Apr. 2024

Board members would have had to approve a corresponding resolution that would have allowed the district to reimburse itself for any costs associated with this project through the future issuance of these bonds. —Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Mar. 2024

Government insurance won't reimburse for at-home supervised exercise, which would solve the problem. —Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024

But the consumer's bank would not credit his account until the bank that accepted the fake check reimbursed the victim's bank. —Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 28 Mar. 2024

The program reimburses physicians 30% less than Medicare does. —Sally C. Pipes, The Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2024

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

Kids Definition

reimburse

verb

re·​im·​burse ˌrē-əm-ˈbərs 

reimbursed; reimbursing

: to pay back : repay

reimburse travel expenses

reimbursable

-ˈbər-sə-bəl 

adjective

reimbursement

-ˈbər-smənt 

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 

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