rebate

1 of 3

verb

re·​bate ˈrē-ˌbāt 

ri-ˈbāt

rebated; rebating

transitive verb

1

: to reduce the force or activity of : diminish

2

: to reduce the sharpness of : blunt

3

a

: to make a rebate of

b

: to give a rebate to

intransitive verb

: to give rebates

rebater noun

rebate

2 of 3

noun

re·​bate ˈrē-ˌbāt 

: a return of a part of a payment

rebate

3 of 3

re·​bate ˈra-bət  ˈrē-ˌbāt 

chiefly British spelling of rabbet

Examples of rebate in a Sentence

Noun

There is a $50 rebate offered with the printer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The league has to rebate these payments back once the lockout is settled, but rights fees flowing in buffer the owners in a war of attrition with the players. — Maury Brown, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Between 2019 and 2021, the city of Waukegan offered a water bill rebate to a select group of residents. — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 13 July 2026

Noun

According to her research, which is based on claims for 1 million Medicare patients from 2005 to 2019, the average, dosage-unit cost of a generic drug is $4, compared to $157 for brand-name drugs after accounting for rebates. — Chantelle Lee, Time, 23 July 2026

In an effort to boost interest, Governor Gavin Newsom last week announced a plan in partnership with 13 automakers to offer instant rebates to California residents buying or leasing their first zero-emission vehicle. — Bloomberg, Oc Register, 21 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French rebatre, rabatre to beat back, deduct, from re- + abatre to strike down, from a- (from Latin ad-) + batre to beat, from Latin battuere

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1656, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rebate

• abate
• airfreight
• await
• baseplate
• berate
• birthdate
• birthrate
• bookplate
• borate
• breastplate
• bromate
• casemate

Kids Definition

rebate

1 of 2 verb

re·​bate ˈrē-ˌbāt 

ri-ˈbāt

rebated; rebating

: to make a rebate of : give as a rebate

rebate

2 of 2 noun

re·​bate ˈrē-ˌbāt 

: a return of part of a payment or an amount owed

Legal Definition

rebate

noun

re·​bate ˈrē-ˌbāt 

: a refund or deduction of part of a payment, price, or charge

rebate

ˈrē-ˌbāt, ri-ˈbāt 

verb