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

• 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

Use Payments as a Competitive Advantage Invoice faster, settle sooner, and disburse smarter. —Christer Holloman, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Though Walz was reportedly supportive of providing funding to better secure schools, no resources were disbursed for that purpose. —Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 30 Aug. 2025

Once the funds are disbursed, the borrower begins making regular monthly payments that include a portion of the principal plus interest. —Andreina Rodriguez, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2025

The city receives about a quarter of the surplus total and must disburse the rest back to other taxing districts. —Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2025

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