stipend

American  

[stahy-pend] / ˈstaɪ pɛnd /

noun

• stipends
  plural

1. a periodic payment, especially a scholarship or fellowship allowance granted to a student.

2. fixed or regular pay; salary.

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stipend British  

/ ˈstaɪpɛnd /

noun

1. a fixed or regular amount of money paid as a salary or allowance, as to a clergyman

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Synonym Usage

See pay ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stipendless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• stipends
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of stipend

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English stipendie, from Latin stīpendium “soldier's pay,” syncopated variant of *stipipendium, equivalent to stipi-, combining form of stips a coin + pend(ere) “to weigh out, pay” ( see pend) + -ium noun suffix ( see -ium)

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Compare meaning

How does stipend compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• stipend vs. salary

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Explanation

A stipend is a fixed, regular payment, usually meant to pay for something specific. It's kind of like an allowance, but for grownups — a college scholarship might include a stipend each semester for books, for example. Coming from the Latin stipendium, which means “tax, pay, or gift,” the noun stipend is defined as a regular, unchanging payment usually given as reward for services, but sometimes given as an allowance with no services or expectations attached. A summer internship that does not offer a full salary might instead include a weekly stipend that covers transportation and lunch costs. Synonyms include salary and payment.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stipend stipends

Unlike most high-level presidential appointees, the Arctic commission chair — who is eligible only for a stipend of up to about $55,000 a year — is not a federal employee under the law.

From Salon ● Sep. 16, 2026

Most payments are hourly, as they would be for nonfamily caregivers, but 13 states also have programs that pay family caregivers a small stipend of $40 to $50 a day not tied to hourly work.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

While residents have no salaries or pay no taxes, they do receive a kind of monthly stipend of just over 200 euros in exchange for a minimum of six hours of work per day.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

The heftiest chunk of her pay comes from a nontaxable stipend travel nurses earn to cover their living expenses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

In return, LiNK provided him with housing and a living stipend, but no salary.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

Many monks in Thailand receive stipends from the government and are therefore considered state officials.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

Perhaps — if such a program were enacted at the federal level — the brilliant idea of targeting Medicaid coverage could be combined with some opt-in option, perhaps with smaller stipends.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026

Russia and China both provide retirement stipends or pensions to their Olympians.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 27, 2026

The research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Canada Research Chair research stipends.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 2, 2026

The brokers wait eagerly for defectors to graduate from the settlement center and begin receiving monthly stipends from the government.

From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden

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Related Words

• allowance
• fee
• gratuity
• pension
• salary
• wage

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