disburse

verb

dis·​burse dis-ˈbərs 

disbursed; disbursing

transitive verb

1

a

: to pay out : expend especially from a fund

disburse money

b

: to make a payment in settlement of

disburse a bill

2

: distribute

disburser noun

Synonyms of disburse

• pay
• spend
• give

Examples of disburse in a Sentence

The money will be disbursed on the basis of need.

The government has disbursed millions of dollars in foreign aid.

Recent Examples on the Web

The fund’s board, meanwhile, has yet to disburse money for any of the requests. — Tarun Gopalakrishnan, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026

Getty Images Auto loans are fixed once disbursed, but a Fed rate hike could push up rates on new loans at a time when car buyers are already struggling to keep up with large monthly loan payments. — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026

So far, about $147 million of that money has been approved for grants, but only $21 million has been disbursed. — Ana Goñi-Lessan, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026

In most cases, your student loans are disbursed to your school at the beginning of the semester, although some private lenders might send the money to you first. — Miranda Marquit, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French desbourser, from Old French desborser, from des- dis- + borse purse, from Medieval Latin bursa

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for disburse

• adverse
• averse
• coerce
• disperse
• diverse
• immerse
• inverse
• obverse
• perverse
• rehearse
• reverse
• transverse

Kids Definition

disburse

verb

dis·​burse dis-ˈbərs 

disbursed; disbursing

: to pay out : expend

disburse money

disburser noun

Etymology

from early French desbourser "to pay out money," from des- "out, away" and borse "a purse," from Latin bursa "a small leather bag" — related to purse, reimburse