discount

noun dis·count \ ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt \

Updated on: 18 May 2018

Definition of discount

1 : a reduction made from the gross (see ¹gross 3b) amount or value of something: such as

a (1) : a reduction made from a regular or list price

offering customers a ten percent discount

buy tickets at a discount

(2) : a proportionate deduction from a debt account usually made for cash or prompt payment

b : a deduction made for interest in advancing money upon or purchasing a bill or note not due

2 : the act or practice of discounting (see ²discount)

3 : a deduction taken or allowance made

… we may … have to make very heavy discount, or even sometimes to reject our author's conclusions altogether.
—G. G. Coulton

See discount defined for English-language learners

See discount defined for kids

Examples of discount in a Sentence

The store offers a two percent discount when customers pay in cash.
a discount of 20% from the original price

Recent Examples of discount from the Web

There are also discounts on audiobooks, e-books, and comic books.

— thuy ong, The Verge, "You can now buy movie tickets with Google Assistant," 4 May 2018
The top general admission price is $40 and there are discounts for seniors, military, students (with ID) and groups of 10 or more.

— david sturm, Columbia Flier, "Rep Stage wraps with wild 'West'," 26 Apr. 2018
There's discounts for record collectors and live music played in stores.

— anna cardovillis, CNN, "'Vinyl is king!': Why Kenya is having a record revival," 23 Apr. 2018
There is a discount for 5 registrations or more for $10/person.

— bob gathany, AL.com, "Paddle the Canal, urban kayaking returns to Big Spring Park Saturday," 19 Apr. 2018
By contrast, shares of foreign stocks based in developed economies such as Europe and Japan have a P/E of 17.5, which is a 30 percent discount from their historic median.

— paul j. lim, New York Times, "The Falling Dollar Means Investors Should Look Abroad — Carefully," 13 Apr. 2018
And unlike the rest of Muni’s public transportation system, there aren’t discounts for kids ages 5 to 18.

— heather knight, San Francisco Chronicle, "Cable cars’ ding goes for your wallet, too," 27 Mar. 2018
Each of the 34 cards is a discount to a local destination.

— amy schwabe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Play Milwaukee discount cards allow families to save money on local things to do," 21 Mar. 2018
Of course, there's also the discounts that are impossible to beat.

— lauren smith, Good Housekeeping, "11 Perks of Your Costco Membership You Probably Didn't Know About," 14 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'discount.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of discount

see ²discount

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1622

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

discount Synonyms

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

discount

verb dis·count \ ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt , dis-ˈ \

Definition of discount

transitive verb

1 a : to make a deduction (see deduction 1a) from usually for cash or prompt payment

a discounted price

b : to sell or offer for sale at a discount (see ¹discount 1)

discounting last year's model

2 : to lend money on after deducting the discount

3 a : to leave out of account or consideration : disregard

discount the possiblilty that the situation may worsen

its effect cannot be entirely discounted

b : to minimize the importance of

shouldn't discount his contributions

c (1) : to make allowance (see ¹allowance 5) for bias or exaggeration in

discount most of their claims

(2) : to view with doubt

discount a rumor

d : to anticipate or take into account (something, such as a future event) in present calculations or planning

… mail came chiefly from those organized groups whose opposition had already been discounted …
—Time

intransitive verb

: to give or make discounts (see ¹discount)

stores planning to discount after the holidays

—

discounter

play \-ˌkau̇n-tər, -ˈkau̇n-\ noun

See discount defined for English-language learners

Examples of discount in a Sentence

The vacation plan included a discounted price on our hotel room.
Car dealers are heavily discounting last year's unsold models.
These threats cannot be entirely discounted.

Recent Examples of discount from the Web

Thursdays are discounted: $7.25 general and seniors, $6 children 3 to 11.

— dana oland, idahostatesman, "Zoo Boise is about to get bigger and better. Meet the guy who will help make it happen. | Idaho Statesman," 13 May 2018
From now until May 14, Apple is discounting a number of Beats headphones and earbuds by up to 20 percent.

— wired staff, WIRED, "Save Big on Beats Headphones During Apple’s Sale," 5 May 2018
Francis had initially discounted the survivors' testimony against Bishop Juan Barros, whom the survivors say witnessed and covered up abuses in Chile.

— doug criss, CNN, "5 things for May 3: White House, North Korea, abortion, Pope Francis, Starbucks," 3 May 2018
Many of these brands are rarely discounted, meaning this is kind of a big deal–and an unusual opportunity to stock up on pricey skincare, haircare, and makeup faves for a fraction of the original price.

— kathleen mulpeter, Health.com, "Dermstore Is Having a HUGE Secret Sale Right Now," 13 Apr. 2018
How to book: According to deal site Fly4Free, flights from Denver, Cleveland, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose are discounted right now.

— bridget hallinan, Condé Nast Traveler, "Flight Deal: U.S. to Finland from $398 Round-Trip," 10 Apr. 2018
Everything from brands like NARS, M.A.C, Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown and more are discounted up to 25 percent off right now.

— kaitlyn frey, PEOPLE.com, "Editors' Picks: The Beauty Products We're Buying from Nordstrom's Amazing Sale," 23 Mar. 2018
Coleman also discounts the GAO’s statistic that the FDA already approves nearly all requests for access to experimental treatments through its expanded drug access program.

— maureen groppe, Indianapolis Star, "'Right to try' advocacy from Vice President Pence and an Indianapolis second-grader gets surprising pushback," 21 Mar. 2018
People have always discounted Griffin, and that hasn’t changed with his entry into pro football.

— jarrett bell, USA TODAY, "One-handed NFL prospect Shaquem Griffin embraces the opportunity to prove doubters wrong -- again," 28 Apr. 2018

Origin and Etymology of discount

modification of French décompter, from Old French desconter, from Medieval Latin discomputare, from Latin dis- + computare to count — more at count

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1621

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

discount Synonyms

Synonyms

bad-mouth, belittle, cry down, decry, denigrate, deprecate, depreciate, derogate, diminish, dismiss, disparage, kiss off, minimize, play down, put down, run down, talk down, vilipend, write off;

Antonyms

acclaim, applaud, exalt, extol (also extoll), glorify, laud, magnify, praise;

Near Antonyms

approve, countenance, endorse (also indorse), favor, recommend, sanction;

commend, compliment, eulogize;

Related Words

discommend;

abuse, scold;

disapprove (of), dislike;

censure, condemn, criticize, denounce, reprehend, reprobate;

asperse, defame, malign, rip, slander, slur, traduce, vilify;

discredit, disgrace;

Phrases

dump on;

discount

adjective dis·count \ ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt \

Definition of discount

1 a : selling goods or services for less than their regular or list price : selling goods or services at a discount (see ¹discount 1a(1))

discount stores

a discount broker

discount airlines

b : offered or sold at a discount

discount tickets

2 : reflecting a discount

discount prices

See discount defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of discount from the Web

Businesses from Phoenix to Gilbert to Surprise are offering free or almost free food and free or discount admission into museums and aqariums for Mother's Day.

— georgann yara and sonja haller, azcentral, "Best ideas for mom on Mother's Day 2018: Free food, killer deals and discounts," 8 May 2018
Complimentary champagne toast at midnight and there will be discount bottles of champagne all night.

— courtney ortega and jay betsill, star-telegram, "New Year's Eve parties, events in Dallas, Fort Worth | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 20 Dec. 2017
There were still discount fabric stores along First Avenue, and those who were clever with a needle—or even a safety pin—could work wonders with a remnant.

— lynn yaeger, Vogue, "Pointy-Toed Hipsters and Rockabilly Girls: Lynn Yaeger Celebrates the Unrepentant Style Rebels From Club 57," 2 Nov. 2017
The park decided to focus on making visits more affordable for regular visitors from throughout the Southern California region rather than deeply discount single day tickets, park president Marilyn Hannes said.

— lori weisberg, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Will SeaWorld's new $99.99 annual pass draw more visitors to the park?," 27 Sep. 2017
The figures were particularly encouraging for Wal-Mart, given the recent arrival on American shores of deep discount German food retailer Lidl and the store expansion of its rival Aldi, which will put downward pressure on prices.

— phil wahba, Fortune, "Walmart’s Massive Tech Investments Drive Another Quarter of Big Sales Gains," 17 Aug. 2017
WHAT ELIGIBLE MINNESOTANS NEED TO DO TO GET DISCOUNTNothing.

— david montgomery, Twin Cities, "Health insurance premium subsidies are almost here. What you need to know.," 27 Feb. 2017
At this writing, tickets for Disney On Ice in both Long Beach (April 21-23) and Ontario (April 29-30) were available for as little as $15 each from Travelzoo.com, a source for discount travel.

— marla jo fisher, Orange County Register, "Deals of the week: Free parks, free aquarium admission for kids and discounts to Disney on Ice," 26 Mar. 2017
However, the scientists shouldn't completely discount muscle performance in the king snake's abilities, notes Anthony Herrel, a biologist at the Natural History Museum in Paris, France, in an email.

— david penning, National Geographic, "Snake Kills Bigger Snakes With World's Most Powerful Squeeze," 15 Mar. 2017

Origin and Etymology of discount

see ²discount

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1854

in the meaning defined at sense 2

See Words from the same year

Other Economics Terms

actuary, compound interest, globalization, indemnity, portfolio, rentier, stagflation, usurer

DISCOUNT Defined for English Language Learners

discount

noun

Definition of discount for English Language Learners

: an amount taken off a regular price : a price reduction

discount

verb

Definition of discount for English Language Learners

: to lower the amount of (a bill, price, etc.)
: to lower the price of (a product)
: to think of (something) as having little importance or value

discount

adjective

Definition of discount for English Language Learners

: selling goods or services at reduced prices
: offered or sold at a reduced price
: cheaper than usual

DISCOUNT Defined for Kids

discount

noun dis·count \ ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt \

Definition of discount for Students

: an amount taken off a regular price

discount

verb dis·count \ ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt , dis-ˈkau̇nt \

Definition of discount for Students

discounted; discounting

1 : to lower the amount of a bill, debt, or price

2 : to think of as not important or serious

Don't discount her idea.

Law Dictionary

discount

noun dis·count \ ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt \

legal Definition of discount

: a reduction made from the gross amount or value of something: as

a : a reduction made from a regular or list price or a proportionate deduction from a debt account usually made for prompt payment or for payment in cash

b : a reduction made for interest in advancing money upon or purchasing a note not yet due

c : a reduction in the price of a bond — see also discount bond at bond 2

d : the sale of securities that are issued below and redeemed at face value — compare premium 1

discount

transitive verb dis·count \ ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt, dis-ˈkau̇nt \

legal Definition of discount

1 a : to make a deduction from usually for cash or prompt payment

b : to sell or offer at a lowered price

2 : to lend money on after deducting a discount

banks discount negotiable instruments

3 : to take into account (a future event or prospect) in making present calculations

intransitive verb

: to give or make discounts

discount

adjective dis·count \ ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt \

legal Definition of discount

1 a : selling goods or services at a discount

a discount broker

b : offered or sold at a discount

discount securities

2 : reflecting a discount

the discount price

Learn More about discount

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discount

Definition of discount

Examples of discount in a Sentence

Recent Examples of discount from the Web

Origin and Etymology of discount

discount Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Economics Terms

discount

Definition of discount

discounter

Examples of discount in a Sentence

Recent Examples of discount from the Web

Origin and Etymology of discount

discount Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Phrases

discount

Definition of discount

Recent Examples of discount from the Web

Origin and Etymology of discount

Other Economics Terms

Phrases Related to DISCOUNT

Related Phrases

DISCOUNT Defined for English Language Learners

discount

Definition of discount for English Language Learners

discount

Definition of discount for English Language Learners

discount

Definition of discount for English Language Learners

DISCOUNT Defined for Kids

discount

Definition of discount for Students

discount

Definition of discount for Students

Law Dictionary

discount

legal Definition of discount

discount

legal Definition of discount

discount

legal Definition of discount

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