reimburse

verb

re·​im·​burse ˌrē-əm-ˈbərs 

reimbursed; reimbursing

transitive verb

1

: to pay back to someone : repay

reimburse travel expenses

2

: to make restoration or payment of an equivalent to

reimburse him for his traveling expenses

reimbursable

ˌrē-əm-ˈbər-sə-bəl 

adjective

reimbursement

ˌrē-əm-ˈbərs-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• refund
• repay

Choose the Right Synonym for reimburse

pay, compensate, remunerate, satisfy, reimburse, indemnify, repay, recompense mean to give money or its equivalent in return for something.

pay implies the discharge of an obligation incurred.

paid their bills

compensate implies a making up for services rendered.

an attorney well compensated for her services

remunerate clearly suggests paying for services rendered and may extend to payment that is generous or not contracted for.

promised to remunerate the searchers handsomely

satisfy implies paying a person what is required by law.

all creditors will be satisfied in full

reimburse implies a return of money that has been spent for another's benefit.

reimbursed employees for expenses

indemnify implies making good a loss suffered through accident, disaster, warfare.

indemnified the families of the dead miners

repay stresses paying back an equivalent in kind or amount.

repay a favor with a favor

recompense suggests due return in amends, friendly repayment, or reward.

passengers were recompensed for the delay

Examples of reimburse in a Sentence

make sure you keep your receipts so we can reimburse you for your expenses

Recent Examples on the Web

The records falsely indicated that checks to Cohen were for legal services rather than to reimburse him for paying the hush money, according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office. —Ben Adler, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2024

But Finance Director Diana Gomez said the gift cards were reimbursed by the city’s insurance company as a credit for staff training. —Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024

Prosecutors say Cohen was then reimbursed by Trump in a series of 12 monthly payments from the Trump Organization that were logged and characterized as checks for ongoing legal services, as opposed to repayments for the hush money. —Graham Kates, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2024

Lee, 37, became the first employer to sign up for the Prince George’s reentry hiring incentive, which reimburses businesses that hire people returning home from jail or prison. —Jasmine Hilton, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024

Now Wheeler and Paret are both looking toward Senate Bill 1423, set to be voted on later this month in the Senate Health Committee, to help restructure the way critical access hospitals like Catalina Island Health are reimbursed. —Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024

Purchases made for essentials while waiting for baggage to arrive will also be reimbursed if your luggage is delayed. —Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024

While Carrie vows to pay Charlotte back, her expectation that her friends would bail her out, no questions asked, after years of financial irresponsibility, is truly entitled and completely lacking self-awareness—and there's never any update on whether or not Carrie ever reimburses Charlotte. —Cady Lang, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024

States are reimbursed for work already completed to restore highways, which means there’s a natural lag as projects are finished. —Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

re- + obsolete English imburse to put in the pocket, pay, from Medieval Latin imbursare, from Latin in- in- + Medieval Latin bursa purse — more at purse

First Known Use

1511, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

reimburse

verb

re·​im·​burse ˌrē-əm-ˈbərs 

reimbursed; reimbursing

: to pay back : repay

reimburse travel expenses

reimbursable

-ˈbər-sə-bəl 

adjective

reimbursement

-ˈbər-smənt 

noun

Etymology

from re- "again, back" and obsolete imburse "pay, put in the pocket," from Latin imbursare (same meaning), from earlier in- "in" and bursa "purse, small leather bag" — related to disburse, purse

Legal Definition

reimburse

transitive verb

re·​im·​burse ˌrē-əm-ˈbərs 

reimbursed; reimbursing

1

: to pay back (a sum lost or expended) to someone

will reimburse the court costs

2

: to make restoration or payment of an equivalent to

reimburse the employee for travel expenses

reimbursement noun