restitution

noun

res·​ti·​tu·​tion ˌre-stə-ˈtü-shən 

-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

also : an amount paid for the purpose of restoration

ordered to pay restitution to the victim

Synonyms of restitution

• reparation
• damages
• compensation

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

The lawsuit asks the court to require State Farm to pay full restitution to policyholders, as well as civil penalties for violating state law. — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

On that same front, Hoffman’s order restrains the NCAA from enforcing the rule of restitution. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Aug. 2026

The suspects, both former employees of the JFK airport postal facility, were given prison sentences ranging from five to 12 years and ordered to pay more than $400,000 in restitution, officials said. — Luke Barr, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026

Under the terms of the agreement, Miller, 75, who lives in central Florida, must abide by a number of rules for a 12-month period and pay about $60,000 in restitution. — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

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

Rhymes for restitution

• absolution
• allocution
• attribution
• comminution
• constitution
• contribution
• convolution
• destitution
• devolution
• diminution
• dissolution
• distribution

Kids Definition

restitution

noun

res·​ti·​tu·​tion ˌres-tə-ˈt(y)ü-shən 

: 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- 

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