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

Running ads in free AI products has the potential to defray some of those costs. —Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 1 May 2025

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

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