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

As part of the plea agreement, Succar agreed to pay $190,825 in restitution to the Social Security Administration. —Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026

Noel was also ordered to pay more than $3 million in restitution to agencies, including New Chapel EMS, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the Indiana Department of Revenue and the Indiana State Police. —Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 6 Jan. 2026

At the time, the Caribbean nation was heavily indebted to France after being forced to pay restitution for its 1804 independence, and had a small German class dominating its commercial business interests. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 5 Jan. 2026

In August, a 20-year-old in Florida was sentenced to a decade in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution of $13 million for his role in multiple attacks. —Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 1 Jan. 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