Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

reimbursement

American  
[ree-im-burs-muhnt] / ˌri ɪmˈbɜrs mənt /

noun

  • reimbursements
    plural
  1. repayment for an expense or loss incurred.

    Visitors will receive reimbursement for travel and housing expenses.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of reimbursement

reimburse ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Explanation

A reimbursement is a repayment for money you've already spent. When you travel for work, you get a reimbursement for your work-related expenses, like hotel bills and plane tickets, but you'll have to pay for that trip to the circus yourself. Reimbursement comes from the Latin root words re, meaning again; in, meaning into; and bursa, meaning purse. So the word reimbursement literally means in a purse again. After your parents' basement flooded, they paid to repair the damage and then got a reimbursement from the insurance company, so that they could put the money they spent in their purse again.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing reimbursement

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:

The city would first seek reimbursement from the federal government for law enforcement services, particularly in high-security zones, Szabo said.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 13, 2026

Inflation has soared since the COVID-19 pandemic, government reimbursement for Medi-Cal patients and the uninsured often doesn’t cover costs, and providers say they frequently have difficulties obtaining full payment from insurers.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 6, 2026

The spokeswoman also said JPMorgan’s reimbursement standards met or exceeded what the law required.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 5, 2026

It said reimbursement provided in 2025 had not continued at the same level in 2026, while operating costs had risen.

From BBC Jul. 24, 2026

In the late 1990s, Medicare slashed reimbursement levels to around $450 per procedure, and the incomes of the surgically minded ophthalmologists fell.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Prosecutor Denise Osei said Morecroft repeatedly lied about making "out of pocket" payments for which he had requested "reimbursements" from treasurer Joshua Holvey.

From BBC Jul. 28, 2026

Should you need to return home early, don’t expect reimbursements from your travel agent or the hotels or tours you paid for.

From MarketWatch Jul. 9, 2026

Prosecutors allege that Rowan and his co-conspirators concealed the kickbacks by using fake invoices and shell companies to inflate Medicare reimbursements while funneling payments to medical providers.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 25, 2026

Florida AG James Uthmeier said he is examining whether CVS’s PBM steers patients to its own pharmacies and pays its pharmacies higher reimbursements than it pays to independent pharmacies.

From Barron's Jun. 23, 2026

Though he still chased bandits on horseback, the work was generally less dangerous; in many cases, it involved unmasking individuals who had filed false claims for reimbursements.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training