disburse

verb

dis·​burse dis-ˈbərs How to pronounce disburse (audio)
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
disburser noun

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The award will be disbursed as the company’s fabs in Phoenix, Arizona complete certain project milestones. Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 15 Nov. 2024 Those program changes included a new advance grant of up to $10,000 – to be disbursed within three days of application submission. Doug Criscitello, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024 The goal is to protect taxpayer money against fraud, which spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic as the federal government scrambled to disburse emergency aid to consumers and businesses. Matt Egan, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024 Funds are disbursed on a quarterly basis to families enrolled in the program. Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 9 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for disburse 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of disburse was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near disburse

Cite this Entry

“Disburse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disburse. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

disburse

verb
dis·​burse dis-ˈbərs How to pronounce disburse (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on disburse

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