repay
Americanverb (used with object)
-
repays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
repaid,
past participle, past
-
repaying
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
repays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
repaid,
past participle, past
-
repaying
present participle
verb
-
to pay back (money) to (a person); refund or reimburse
-
to make a return for (something) by way of compensation
to repay kindness
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
repayabilitynoun
-
repaymentnoun
-
nonrepayableadjective
-
nonrepayingadjective
-
repayableadjective
-
unrepaidadjective
-
unrepayableadjective
-
well-repaidadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
repaysimple
-
repayssimple
-
have repaidperfect
-
has repaidperfect
-
am repayingprogressive
-
are repayingprogressive
-
is repayingprogressive
-
have been repayingperfect progressive
-
has been repayingperfect progressive
Past
-
repaidsimple
-
had repaidperfect
-
was repayingprogressive
-
were repayingprogressive
-
had been repayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of repay
From the Middle French word repaier, dating back to 1520–30. See re-, pay 1
Explanation
When you give someone money that you owe them, you repay them. A bank may loan you money to buy a new car, but you'll have to repay the money, plus interest. You might repay a bank loan, or repay your brother the dollar you borrowed last week. You can also repay things other than money: "How will I ever repay your kindness and support?" Repay comes from the French repaier, with its "back" prefix re- and payer, "to pay."
Vocabulary lists containing repay
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To repay Bono, would you care to spill any of his personal business?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Whether Mountbatten-Windsor will repay his brother is said to be a private matter - and there are no further details of what this might say about Andrew's personal finances.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
While a corporate bond might not repay if the company goes bust, a U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Under the amended lease, the Operator has agreed to repay $278,094 in back rent that was underbilled,” the report said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
The njuzu had brought her to this island, and it would be extremely ungrateful not to repay them.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
Guitars take the place of shovels, as Henry now repays Carlos’ kindness by helping to save the land that Carlos assumes is ravaged.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
She repays about £150 a month and said it feels like "a constant burden that is always hanging over your head".
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Onset said it is owed $1.9 billion by First Brands, and has concerns that when the company repays its DIP lenders, it will leave nothing behind to repay those claims.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
The money is typically issued within three days, and the platform repays itself by withholding those wages from the user’s next paycheck.
From Salon ● Jan. 17, 2025
See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
After the scandal broke, Kremlev said that Trump Jr. had repaid him for the wedding expenses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Their daughter has repaid the loan in full, they said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
The propositions granted the state authority to issue a combined $8.5 billion in general obligation bonds — a loan that’s repaid with interest over time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Left-arm spinner Liam Dawson also repaid the faith for his inclusion over Rehan Ahmed with figures of 3-26.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
It was well known that Webster would purchase enslaved people and allow them to work for a salary until they had repaid their purchase price.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
If the nonprofit LA28 spends more than it takes in, Los Angeles will be responsible for repaying the first $270 million in debts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
He had been repaying each $1,000 invested with $1,500 just 90 days later, but only by taking more money from newcomers or, as a judge later puts it, “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
"The public debate tends to focus on total hypothetical debt accrued, as opposed to what students actually end up repaying," the university said.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Parents who are already repaying loans will lose access to income-driven repayment plans.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
“See how you do, repaying the wicked? That’s not right, Ma.”
From "Gone Crazy in Alabama" by Rita Williams-Garcia
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
