repay

verb re·pay \ (ˌ)rē-ˈpā \

|Updated on: 9 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: repay in a Sentence

Definition of repay

repaid play \(ˌ)rē-ˈpād\; repaying

transitive verb

1 a : to pay back

repay a loan

b : 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 \(ˌ)rē-ˈpā-ə-bəl\ adjective

—

repayment

play \(ˌ)rē-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

To repay their debt of gratitude, the students rented out the old Poncan Theatre and put on one last how for their mentor.

— steve hartman, CBS News, "Former students surprise music teacher who changed their lives," 13 July 2018
Mr Sharif claimed that a Qatari investment fund gave the family the properties, to repay a debt owed to Mr Sharif’s father.

— The Economist, "Pakistan’s former prime minister embraces jail to rally his party," 12 July 2018
To get investors to finance the in-house loans, ITT offered a guarantee to limit the risk of students not repaying the debt.

— danielle douglas-gabriel, latimes.com, "Defunct for-profit college firm ITT's former executives settle fraud charges," 10 July 2018
To get investors to finance the in-house loans, ITT offered a guarantee to limit the risk of students not repaying the debt.

— danielle douglas-gabriel, Washington Post, "ITT’s top executives settle fraud charges with SEC," 9 July 2018
The Annual Town Meeting in March had appropriated funding for the Abbot Hall and seawall work contingent on passage of the debt exclusions, which allow the town to temporarily raise its property tax cap in order to repay debt from the projects.

— john laidler, BostonGlobe.com, "Marblehead voters agree to tax increases for town repairs," 28 June 2018
Disputes in the South China Sea, the perception that China does not always follow through on its infrastructure promises, and the specter of indebtedness as countries struggle to repay mounting debts to Beijing.

— jason koutsoukis, Bloomberg.com, "China Spends Big to Win Friends and Influence Across East Asia," 27 June 2018
Students next year will see a tuition increase to help the school repay that loan, Boonstra said.

— meredith colias-pete, Post-Tribune, "New Illiana Christian High School set to open in August," 13 July 2018
Much of the revenue from sales to China goes towards repaying the loans taken out to build the pipeline through which the gas flows.

— The Economist, "Turkmenistan finds a novel solution to mass emigration," 5 July 2018

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

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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repay Synonyms

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

repayment

noun

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

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.)