restitute

verb

res·​ti·​tute ˈre-stə-ˌtüt 

-ˌtyüt

restituted; restituting

transitive verb

1

: to restore to a former state or position

2

: give back

especially : refund

intransitive verb

: to undergo restitution

Examples of restitute in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The top lot of the evening was an early Wassily Kandinsky painting, Das bunte Leben (1907), which was recently restituted to the heirs of the German Jewish art collector Hedwig Lewenstein-Weyermann in June 2023. — News Desk, Artforum, 15 Oct. 2026

The painting had been restituted to the heirs of Hedwig Lewenstein-Weyermann in 2023. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

In 2023 and 2024, for example, five museums restituted works to the heirs, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Carnegie Museum of Art. — Catherine Hickley, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2025

Turkey, by the way, is among the world’s laggards in restituting anything. — Brian T. Allen, National Review, 5 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin restitutus, past participle of restituere

First Known Use

circa 1500, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for restitute

• absolute
• arrowroot
• attribute
• bitterroot
• constitute
• convolute
• destitute
• disrepute
• dissolute
• execute
• institute
• involute