repay

verb

re·​pay (ˌ)rē-ˈpā How to pronounce repay (audio)
repaid (ˌ)rē-ˈpād How to pronounce repay (audio) ; repaying

transitive verb

1
a
: to pay back
repay a loan
b
: to give or inflict in return or requital
repay evil for evil
2
: to make a return payment to : compensate, requite
3
: to make requital for : recompense
the success that repays hard work

intransitive verb

: to make return payment or requital
repayable adjective
repayment noun
Choose the Right Synonym for repay

pay, compensate, remunerate, satisfy, reimburse, indemnify, repay, recompense mean to give money or its equivalent in return for something.

pay implies the discharge of an obligation incurred.

paid their bills

compensate implies a making up for services rendered.

an attorney well compensated for her services

remunerate clearly suggests paying for services rendered and may extend to payment that is generous or not contracted for.

promised to remunerate the searchers handsomely

satisfy implies paying a person what is required by law.

all creditors will be satisfied in full

reimburse implies a return of money that has been spent for another's benefit.

reimbursed employees for expenses

indemnify implies making good a loss suffered through accident, disaster, warfare.

indemnified the families of the dead miners

repay stresses paying back an equivalent in kind or amount.

repay a favor with a favor

recompense suggests due return in amends, friendly repayment, or reward.

passengers were recompensed for the delay

Examples of repay in a Sentence

You can repay the mortgage over 30 years. She would rather have to repay the bank than borrow from her parents and have to repay them. How can I ever repay your kindness? How can I ever repay you for your kindness?
Recent Examples on the Web Vance repaid the favor by vocally supporting Moreno this year in a bitter and often petty primary race. Rick Klein, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 Surviving family members may have to sell the house to repay Medicaid, as the Midwestern daughter may be forced to do, or the state may seize the property. Paula Span, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024 Earlier this year, Reuters reported that FTX was moving toward liquidation that should repay customers in full. Julie Zauzmer Weil, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 The crisis subsequently spread, with dozens of major developers also failing to repay creditors. Laura He, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Consumers in these transactions are not receiving money from lenders that needs to be repaid. Wayne Winegarden, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The bonds were envisioned to be repaid through a mix of revenues from the project, including a ticket tax, parking fees, concession taxes, income taxes levied on athletes performing at the arena and naming rights from the district. Sarah Rankin, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 When consumers fail to repay their loans for a long time, banks write off the bad debt as a loss. Matt Egan, CNN, 7 Mar. 2024 Even if Biden were to do the right thing, voters are unlikely to repay him with support. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'repay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of repay was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near repay

Cite this Entry

“Repay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repay. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

repay

verb
re·​pay (ˈ)rē-ˈpā How to pronounce repay (audio)
repaid -ˈpād How to pronounce repay (audio) ; repaying
1
: to pay back
repay a loan
2
: to make a return payment to
repay a creditor
repayable adjective
repayment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on repay

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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