disbursement

noun

dis·​burse·​ment dis-ˈbərs-mənt 

: the act of paying out money especially from a fund : the act of disbursing

the disbursement of government funds

also : funds paid out

received monthly disbursements

Did you know?

Disbursement was minted in English in the late 16th century by melding the noun suffix -ment with the verb disburse. Disburse is a borrowing of the Middle French desbourser, which traces back to the Old French desborser, a combination of the negating prefix des- (equivalent to the English dis-) and borse, which, like its English cognate purse, ultimately traces back to the Medieval Latin bursa, meaning "money bag" and, in earlier Latin usage, "oxhide." During the 16th and 17th centuries, deburse, depurse, and dispurse were deposited in the English language bank as synonyms of disburse. Deburse and depurse were also used respectively to form debursement and depursement—but these synonyms of disburse and disbursement all quickly declined in value and were never redeemed.

Synonyms

• charge
• cost
• expenditure
• expense
• outgo
• outlay

Examples of disbursement in a Sentence

substantial disbursements for research and development

the disbursement of the foundation's funds to several cancer research centers

Recent Examples on the Web

The federal charging document listed two of Smith's companies involved in disbursements from the nonprofit, Joseph Group & Associates LLC and William Smith & Associates LLC. —Christine MacDonald, Detroit Free Press, 6 June 2024

While a receipt is not required for reimbursement, shoppers that held on to theirs are entitled to disbursements worth 2% of the total cost of their purchases, up to $500, according to the settlement site. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 5 June 2024

At the same time, the United States and its EU allies must work to keep Ukraine on a reformist path by imposing strict conditions on future aid disbursements to encourage its government to fight high-level corruption and respond to the needs of the Ukrainian people. —Eugene B. Rumer, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017

The hush money payments to adult-film actor Stormy Daniels were made by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer, who was later reimbursed for the disbursements through invoices that were falsely labeled as legal services. —Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 31 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

disburse + -ment, perhaps after Middle French desboursement

First Known Use

circa 1599, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

disbursement

noun

dis·​burse·​ment dis-ˈbər-smənt 

: the act of disbursing

also : funds paid out