repay

play

verb re·pay \(ˌ)rē-ˈpā\

Updated on: 26 Jul 2017

Definition of repay

repaid

play \-ˈpād\;

repaying

transitive verb
1a : to pay back repay a loanb : to give or inflict in return or requital repay evil for evil
2 : to make a return payment to : compensate, requite
3 : to make requital for : recompense the success that repays hard work
intransitive verb
: to make return payment or requital

repayable

play \-ˈpā-ə-bəl\ adjective

repayment

play \-ˈpā-mənt\ noun

See repay defined for English-language learners

See repay defined for kids

Examples of repay in a Sentence

You can repay the mortgage over 30 years.
She would rather have to repay the bank than borrow from her parents and have to repay them.
How can I ever repay your kindness?
How can I ever repay you for your kindness?

Recent Examples of repay from the Web

The state gave Maryland American a loan of up to $3.85 million, to be repaid over 30 years with an annual interest rate of 1.2 percent, Saeid Kasraei, administrator of MDE's Water Supply Program, said later.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Maryland American breaks ground on Bel Air water impoundment," 13 July 2017
The University of Louisville athletics department may have to repay more than $5 million for four of its NCAA Tournament appearances as part of the NCAA Committee on Infractions' ruling against the men's basketball program.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "How much money would the University of Louisville have to pay back to the NCAA?," 5 July 2017
India’s central bank governor Urjit Patel has warned writing off loans for millions of farmers encourages others not to repay and risks pushing up inflation.

— iain marlow, Bloomberg.com, "Profligate State-Level Spending Could Derail Modi's Reform Plans," 4 July 2017
She was allowed to keep $2.5 million of her family's sizable assets, thanks to a deal Bernie made with the prosecutors; the rest of their $80 million fortune was immediately seized to help repay victims.

— caroline hallemann, Town & Country, "Ruth Madoff Spotted Out the Day After the Government Recovers $23 Million from Her Late Sons' Estates," 28 June 2017
Unicaja has until April 2018 to repay those securities.

— esteban duarte, Bloomberg.com, "Spain Unicaja Raises $783 Million in IPO to Repay State Aid," 28 June 2017
A year ago, the European Commission ordered Apple to repay $14.5 billion in back taxes, plus interest, to the European Union after spending years funneling its profits through an Irish subsidiary in an attempt to lower its tax bill.

— vanityfair.com, VanityFair.com, "Google Just Got Some Record-Breaking Bad News," 27 June 2017
Senate Republicans want to borrow an additional $350 million and repay that money using income and sales taxes normally used to pay for schools and health care.

— lillian price, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin budget still in limbo as Robin Vos and Scott Fitzgerald trade blame for delays," 27 June 2017
Under federal rules, applicants must demonstrate an ability to repay debt, have solid credit histories and scores and must document everything.

— roger showley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Down payments at 1%: A good idea?," 23 June 2017

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

First Known Use of repay

15th century

Synonym Discussion of repay

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

Financial Definition of REPAY

repay

verb

What It Is

Repayment usually refers to the payments on a debt.

How It Works

Under the terms of a loan, repayment can have different schedules and requirements. For example, a loan may be amortized over a specific period of time, requiring regular repayments. The repayments would be divided between the interest (i.e. the interest on the outstanding loan amount) and the principal repayment (i.e. the remaining amount of the periodic payment that is used to reduce the outstanding loan amount). At the same time, a loan term may be amortized over a longer period of time than the due date on the loan. In this case, a loan will require a "balloon repayment" (i.e. the amount of principal not yet repaid will be due in full at the end of the term). In either case, all payments on the loan are called repayments.

Why It Matters

For both a borrower and a lender, the breakdown of repayments into principal and interest are very important. For a business, the interest portion of the repayment on a business loan is tax deductible. The principal is not. For a lender, the interest portion of the repayment is treated as income. The principal is not.

Source: Investing Answers

REPAY Defined for English Language Learners

repay

play

verb

Definition of repay for English Language Learners

: to pay back (money that you have borrowed)
: to make a payment to (a person or organization that has loaned you money)
: to do or give something in return for (something) : to provide something in return for (work, effort, etc.)