as in to pay
somewhat formal
to provide money for (something)
This will defray the costs.
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Recent Examples of defray
And season ticket holders who are eager to defray high costs could start thinking about selling some tickets at a profit to recoup expenses.
—
Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 28 Aug. 2025
There are ways, however, that Disney can defray that deficit.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Decker installed a solar panel array to help defray the cost and impact of the electricity used by his computers and crypto mining activities, and submitted a report to SMUD explaining why his usage was elevated.
—Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2025
The first customers for the gadget (introduced in mid-2018) have been parents who use it to calm their children, particularly those with special needs, and students who use it to defray stress during exams.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Jan. 2019
See All Example Sentences for defray
Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 28 Aug. 2025
There are ways, however, that Disney can defray that deficit.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Decker installed a solar panel array to help defray the cost and impact of the electricity used by his computers and crypto mining activities, and submitted a report to SMUD explaining why his usage was elevated.
—Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2025
The first customers for the gadget (introduced in mid-2018) have been parents who use it to calm their children, particularly those with special needs, and students who use it to defray stress during exams.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 Jan. 2019
See All Example Sentences for defray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defray
Verb
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Adding another big contract would have been prohibitive ahead of an offseason where the Ravens will want to pay center Tyler Linderbaum, nose tackle Travis Jones, tight end Isaiah Likely and several others.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
5 Nov. 2025
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On Tuesday, supervisors also unanimously passed a measure calling on the federal government to immediately start paying SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The profitable football program heavily subsidizes other university athletic departments, and a decline could also impact alumni donations.—
Ricardo Torres,
jsonline.com,
29 Oct. 2025
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The Chinese government can then subsidize these products for export through cheap central or provincial government financing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The bill would pay for the creation of new dog parks and fund the cleaning of streets where dog owners fail to clean up after their pets, the same source reported.—
Ashley J. DiMella,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
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Any future accommodation will be privately funded by King Charles.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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And despite some analysts’ warnings of a chaotic aftermath should Maduro be ousted, a flood of foreign and private money could spare the US from having to finance the rebuilding of the Venezuelan government and economy.—
Shelby Talcott,
semafor.com,
4 Nov. 2025
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The Persian-language film, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, was selected to represent France — a decision that sparked debate due to its Iranian setting and cast, despite being almost entirely financed and produced in France.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defray. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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