restitution

noun res·ti·tu·tion \ ˌre-stə-ˈtü-shən , -ˈtyü- \

Updated on: 17 May 2018

Definition of restitution

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

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Examples of restitution in a Sentence

the restitution of her stolen property
He was ordered to make restitution to the victim.

Recent Examples of restitution from the Web

Last year, Louisiana passed legislation that would have capped victim restitution and other payments if an offender couldn't afford the whole amount and consistently made payments over 12 months.

— michelle hunter, NOLA.com, "Suspect who triggered St. Catherine lockdown to face gun, drug charges: JPSO," 3 Apr. 2018
But, the victims did not want additional restitution and Hart said those funds were paid back before MacLean's scheme was discovered.

— cary spivak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Suspended Waukesha County lawyer sentenced to nine months for embezzling $600,000," 3 Apr. 2018
The question of restitution has long been a taxing one.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "The Persistent Crime of Nazi-Looted Art," 11 Mar. 2018
The Harris County regional committee ordered him to pay $500 in restitution and $500 in attorneys' fees and direct expenses.

— gabrielle banks, Houston Chronicle, "Three Houston-area lawyers suspended for misconduct," 30 Apr. 2018
And, there's just over $4 million in restitution that will cost him the cash from three bank accounts, 11 real estate properties and a women's $22,500 diamond Rolex watch.

— david j. neal, miamiherald, "His fraud cost victims $10 million. Now, it's costing him time, land and a $22,000 Rolex | Miami Herald," 29 Apr. 2018
While France and Germany relied on their records to return property and make some form of reparations for businesses lost and assets seized over the course of decades, other countries proved more reluctant to offer restitution.

— lorraine boissoneault, Smithsonian, "A 1938 Nazi Law Forced Jews to Register Their Wealth—Making It Easier to Steal," 26 Apr. 2018
In fact, the entire adversarial nature of most criminal cases may not offer all survivors the best chance at justice and restitution.

— anna north, Vox, "Bill Cosby lost. #MeToo won.," 26 Apr. 2018
Did the apology come with restitution and a real change of behavior?

— The Christian Science Monitor, "The art of parsing apologies," 20 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of restitution

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year