remit

1 of 2

verb

re·​mit ri-ˈmit How to pronounce remit (audio)
remitted; remitting

transitive verb

1
a
: to lay aside (a mood or disposition) partly or wholly
b
: to desist from (an activity)
c
: to let (attention or diligence) slacken : relax
2
a
: to release from the guilt or penalty of
remit sins
b
: to refrain from exacting
remit a tax
c
: to cancel or refrain from inflicting
remit the penalty
d
: to give relief from (suffering)
3
: to submit or refer for consideration, judgment, decision, or action
specifically : remand
4
: to restore or consign to a former status or condition
5
6
: to send (money) to a person or place especially in payment of a demand, account, or draft

intransitive verb

1
a
: to abate in force or intensity : moderate
b
: to abate symptoms (as of a disease) for a period
2
: to send money (as in payment)
remitment noun
remittable adjective
remitter noun

remit

2 of 2

noun

re·​mit ri-ˈmit How to pronounce remit (audio)
ˈrē-ˌmit
1
British : an area of responsibility or authority
usually singular
The problem was outside/beyond our remit.
The BBC simply no longer sees producing Shakespeare as part of its remit as a public service television broadcaster.John Morrison
2
: an act of remitting
3
: something remitted to another person or authority

Examples of remit in a Sentence

Verb A patient who has mild flare-ups in the skin and joints twice a year may one day awaken with kidney failure or paralysis that, one month later, mysteriously remits. Elizabeth Rosenthal, New York Times Book Review, 19 Nov. 1989
And he was, therefore, as little surprised as a man could be, to find himself awakened at the small inn to which he had been remitted until morning, in the middle of the night. Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859
I was brought in guilty and sentenced to die; but that the judges, having been made sensible of the hardship of my circumstances, had obtained leave to remit the sentence upon my consenting to be transported. Daniel Defoe, Moll Flanders, 1722
Please remit $1,000 upon receipt of this letter. Payment can be remitted by check. The governor remitted the remainder of her life sentence.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In Hong Kong, a finance worker at a multinational firm remitted a total of $200 million Hong Kong dollars, about $25.6 million, to fraudsters who used deepfake technology, CNN reported. Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2024 Finally, the state and city broadly benefit from tax revenues from the facility with over $21 million in state and local taxes remitted yearly. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 19 Jan. 2024 The arguments of ban supporters centers on the adverse medical effects of second and third-hand smoke, or the chemical residue produced by smoking that latches onto dust and surfaces before remitting into the air. Jenna Barackman, Kansas City Star, 8 Feb. 2024 In its nearly 30 years of existence, the network has expanded beyond its already estimable remit as a cable network-meets-film-school, with fan events including a film festival and cruise. Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2023 Believing everyone else on the call was real, the worker agreed to remit a total of $200 million Hong Kong dollars – about $25.6 million, the police officer added. Heather Chen, CNN, 4 Feb. 2024 Country Garden remitted 800 million yuan ($112 million) to onshore bondholders, according to a filing on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Lionel Lim, Fortune, 14 Dec. 2023 Foreign investors — either individuals or companies — at the Shanghai pilot free trade zone, where tens of thousands of firms are located, can remit their funds without any restriction or delay, according to a statement from the city government posted Thursday. Laura He, CNN, 22 Sep. 2023 None of us, including people living with illness, have great stories for how to think about the illness that, in the case of an autoimmune disease, may start and stop, relapsing and remitting. Isabella Cueto, STAT, 23 Oct. 2023
Noun
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that non-alcoholic drinks like Corona Cero are entirely excluded from the remit of the act, according to Garde. George Ramsay, CNN, 31 Jan. 2024 The House Judiciary Committee’s amendment, which US spy agencies oppose, would strengthen these protective efforts far beyond the remit of the FTC Act. Dell Cameron Andrew Couts, WIRED, 14 Feb. 2024 This remit will oversee global investment banking, commercial banking, corporate banking as well as markets, securities services and global payments. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 26 Jan. 2024 This approach still took the council well outside its remit and satisfied no one. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2024 Brown also briefly worked as a producer for the Cultural Olympiad that took place during the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, a remit that included jazz, opera, chamber music and more. David Allen, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2024 Their remit is protecting the safety of passengers. Michael Lee, Fox News, 30 Sep. 2023 He is expected to seek a new senior executive to fill Levin’s remit, a move that would mark his first senior hire. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 8 Nov. 2023 Zeiler took over as president of international at WB in 2020 and extended his remit across Discovery Inc. in April 2022, after the close of the Discovery/WarnerMedia merger. Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'remit.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English remitten "to send back (to prison), refer, pass on, surrender, waive, forgive," borrowed from Latin remittere "to send back, refer, release, relax, ease off, waive (a debt, punishment)," from re- re- + mittere "to release, let go, send (for a purpose)" — more at admit entry 1

Noun

Middle English remyt "pardon," noun derivative of remitten "to remit entry 1"

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of remit was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near remit

Cite this Entry

“Remit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/remit. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

remit

1 of 2 verb
re·​mit ri-ˈmit How to pronounce remit (audio)
remitted; remitting
1
a
: to release from the guilt or penalty of : pardon
remit sins
b
: to keep from demanding or calling for
remit a penalty
2
: to give over for consideration, judgment, decision, or action
remit the proposal to a special committee
3
: to send money especially in payment
4
: to lessen in intensity or severity often temporarily : moderate
the fever had remitted
remitment noun
remittable adjective
remitter noun

remit

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act of remitting
2
: something remitted to another person or authority

Medical Definition

remit

intransitive verb
re·​mit ri-ˈmit How to pronounce remit (audio)
remitted; remitting
: to abate symptoms for a period : go into or be in remission
her leukemia remitted for a year

Legal Definition

remit

verb
re·​mit ri-ˈmit How to pronounce remit (audio)
remitted; remitting

transitive verb

1
a
: to release from the guilt or penalty of
b
: to refrain from exacting
remit a tax
c
: to cancel or refrain from inflicting
remit the fine
2
: to submit or refer for consideration, judgment, decision, or action
specifically : remand
3
: to restore or consign to a former status or condition
4
: to send (money) to a person or place especially in payment of a demand, account, or draft

intransitive verb

: to send money (as in payment)
remitment noun
remittable adjective
Etymology

Verb

Latin remittere to let go back, send back, give up, forgive, from re- back + mittere to let go, send

More from Merriam-Webster on remit

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