restitution

noun

res·​ti·​tu·​tion ˌre-stə-ˈtü-shən How to pronounce restitution (audio)
-ˈtyü-
1
: an act of restoring or a condition of being restored: such as
a
: a restoration of something to its rightful owner
b
: a making good of or giving an equivalent for some injury
2
: a legal action serving to cause restoration of a previous state

Examples of restitution in a Sentence

the restitution of her stolen property He was ordered to make restitution to the victim.
Recent Examples on the Web In an Anchorage courtroom roughly two years after Mirai had obliterated Brian Krebs’ website, a judge handed down that sentence—community service, no prison time—to the three 21- and 22-year-olds, along with debts of between $115,000 and $127,000 each in restitution. Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 14 Nov. 2023 Rosenthal was also ordered to pay more than $1.1 million in restitution. Ava Benny-Morrison, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2023 This includes $121 million in restitution to Key Bank, $27 million to his former clients, and $9.8 million in back taxes. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 9 Nov. 2023 McFadden also ordered Klein to pay a $3,000 fine and $2,000 in restitution. CBS News, 3 Nov. 2023 She was sentenced to five years of probation along with $5,000 in restitution, 100 hours of community service, writing an apology letter to the people of Georgia and testifying truthfully in trials related to this case. Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 25 Oct. 2023 As part of her plea, Ellis was sentenced to five years of probation, and must pay $5,000 in restitution and perform 100 hours of community service. Sarah D. Wire, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2023 Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison, was ordered to pay $1.39 million in restitution, forfeited $500,000, and was fined $100,000. Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2023 She was also fined $6,000 and agreed to pay $2,700 in restitution to the state of Georgia, as well as write an apology letter to its citizens. Danny Hakim, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'restitution.' 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

Middle English restitucioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin restitution-, restitutio, from restituere to restore, from re- + statuere to set up — more at statute

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near restitution

Cite this Entry

“Restitution.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/restitution. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

restitution

noun
res·​ti·​tu·​tion ˌres-tə-ˈt(y)ü-shən How to pronounce restitution (audio)
: the giving of something back to its rightful owner or the giving of something of equal value (as for loss or damage)

Legal Definition

restitution

noun
res·​ti·​tu·​tion ˌres-tə-ˈtü-shən, -ˈtyü- How to pronounce restitution (audio)
1
a
: a restoration of something to its rightful owner
b
: a making good of or giving an equivalent for some injury
2
a
: the equitable remedy of restoring to an aggrieved party that which was obtained in unjust enrichment
b
: a remedy for breach of contract that consists of restoring the aggrieved party to the status quo that existed before the contract was made
3
: an amount to be paid for the purpose of restitution
ordered to pay restitution to the victim of his crime
compare fine
restitutional
ˌres-tə-ˈtü-shə-nəl, -ˈtyü-
adjective
restitutionary
ˌres-tə-ˈtü-shə-ˌner-ē, -ˈtyü-
adjective
restitutive
ˈres-tə-ˌtü-tiv, -ˌtyü-
adjective
restitutory
ˌres-tə-ˈtü-tə-rē, -ˈtyü-; rə-ˈsti-tyə-ˌtōr-ē
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on restitution

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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