as in to pay
somewhat formal
to provide money for (something)
This will defray the costs.
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Recent Examples of defray
Funds raised will help to defray funeral costs and help pay for hospital bills.
—
Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
Retailers such as Walmart, Best Buy and Macy's have raised prices of some items, while also looking for ways to defray costs.
—Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
Some have resorted to sleeping in their cars and selling their blood to defray the cost of commuting to work, acting deputy TSA administrator Adam Stahl told CBS News.
—Philip Wang, Time, 23 Mar. 2026
It's intended to defray some of the cost.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defray
Kc Baker, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
Retailers such as Walmart, Best Buy and Macy's have raised prices of some items, while also looking for ways to defray costs.
—Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
Some have resorted to sleeping in their cars and selling their blood to defray the cost of commuting to work, acting deputy TSA administrator Adam Stahl told CBS News.
—Philip Wang, Time, 23 Mar. 2026
It's intended to defray some of the cost.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for defray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defray
Verb
-
The fine points of class-action law were, of course, less influential than Crenshaw’s insistence on paying close attention to the way Black women were treated by the courts, and the essay’s most memorable lines were broader categorical claims.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Americans are paying more for food, fuel, housing, and healthcare, while government grows larger, less accountable, and less competent.—
Kevin Fixler
May 3,
Idaho Statesman,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Urso argued that incorporated areas have always helped subsidize the roads and services of unincorporated areas.—
Joseph States,
Chicago Tribune,
4 May 2026
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Our health care system is quite complicated, and so what the beginning of that transition looks like for me is that everyone’s health insurance will be subsidized by 50% by the state.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Pay raises for 42,000 employees The budget will also fund controversial pay raises for state employees.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
2 May 2026
-
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO), which investigates complaints about the NHS, determined that a local health body was denying women, but not men, funding for sterilization.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
Verb
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Families are willing to go into debt to finance a surgery if doing so means saving a beloved dog’s life.—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
2 May 2026
-
Prosecutors have accused him of financing the plot.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Defray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defray. Accessed 6 May. 2026.
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