reparation

noun

rep·a·ra·tion | \ ˌre-pə-ˈrā-shən

Definition of reparation

1a : a repairing or keeping in repair

b reparations plural : repairs

2a : the act of making amends, offering expiation, or giving satisfaction for a wrong or injury

b : something done or given as amends or satisfaction

3 : the payment of damages : indemnification specifically : compensation in money or materials payable by a defeated nation for damages to or expenditures sustained by another nation as a result of hostilities with the defeated nation —usually used in plural

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Examples of reparation in a Sentence

The country paid millions in reparations. They've offered no apologies and seem to have no thoughts of reparation. She says she's sorry and wants to make reparations.

Recent Examples on the Web

Those who survived later fought for reparations from the federal government. — Maka Monture, Teen Vogue, "10 Films That Show How the U.S. Has Mistreated Native Americans and Alaska Natives," 22 Nov. 2018 About 93 percent of abuse survivors would be eligible to apply for financial reparations, Mr. Turnbull said. — Adam Baidawi, New York Times, "Australian Prime Minister to Apologize to Child Sexual Abuse Survivors," 13 June 2018 People who train intensely, like athletes, may need more sleep to assist with muscle reparation and growth, Dr. Motamedi says. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "How Much Sleep Do I Need?," 21 Mar. 2019 The post-World War II German government, thinking the work was lost, paid her $13,000 in reparations in 1958. — John Rogers, The Seattle Times, "Spanish museum, California family in court over disputed art," 4 Dec. 2018 The code of honor that dictates—up to a point—negotiations, reparations and the taking of revenge could pass for Sicilian. — WSJ, "‘Birds of Passage’ Review: Splendor and the Grass," 14 Feb. 2019 The Memory Law, which outlawed public events supporting the Franco regime, fell short of addressing the broad demands of civil war survivors and victims' relatives for exhumations and reparations. — Fox News, "Spain sets in motion plan to dig up former dictator Franco," 24 Aug. 2018 Michael Che awarded a tongue-in-cheek reparation Emmys to some black TV legends who were not recognized in the past. — Fox News, "Ingraham: The rush to judgment and injustice for Kavanaugh," 18 Sep. 2018 The court is expected to rule that Mexico is guilty of human rights violations for failing to bring justice in the case and require the government to make reparations to the victims' family. — Kate Linthicum, latimes.com, "Soldiers took them in the night. Now Mexico's key drug war strategy is on trial.," 25 Apr. 2018

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

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Last Updated

26 Apr 2019

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The first known use of reparation was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for reparation

reparation

noun

English Language Learners Definition of reparation

: money that a country or group that loses a war pays because of the damage, injury, deaths, etc., it has caused

formal : something that is done or given as a way of correcting a mistake that you have made or a bad situation that you have caused

See the full definition for reparation in the English Language Learners Dictionary

reparation

noun

rep·a·ra·tion | \ ˌre-pə-ˈrā-shən

Kids Definition of reparation

1 : the act of making up for a wrong

2 : something paid by a country losing a war to the winner to make up for damages done in the war

reparation

noun

rep·a·ra·tion | \ ˌre-pə-ˈrā-shən

Legal Definition of reparation

1a : the act of making amends, offering expiation, or giving satisfaction for a wrong or injury

b : something done or given as amends or satisfaction

2 : the payment of damages specifically : compensation in money or materials payable by a defeated nation for damages to or expenditures sustained by another nation as a result of hostilities with the defeated nation —usually used in pl.