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 funds weren’t disbursed until June 2026; two years and two months after the request was made. — Susanne Rust follow, Los Angeles Times, 29 July 2026

State Department official Michael Kozak told Congress in April that around $3 billion had been disbursed from the Treasury account. — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 27 July 2026

Campaigns generally receive such funds in cash, and disburse them the same way, leaving no financial trail. — Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 25 July 2026

According to publicly available records, the organization did not register with the California Attorney General — a legal requirement for nonprofits soliciting or disbursing charitable funds — until July 2024. — Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 24 July 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