defray

[ dih-frey ]

See synonyms for: defray defrayed on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to bear or pay all or part of (the costs, expenses, etc.): The grant helped defray the expenses of the trip.

Origin of defray

1535–45; <Middle French défrayer,Old French deffroier to pay costs, equivalent to de-dis-¹ + frayer to bear the costs, derivative of frais, fres (plural) costs, probably <Latin frācta things broken (see fracture), hence, expense incurred from breakage

Other words from defray

de·fray·a·ble, adjective
de·fray·er, noun
pre·de·fray, verb (used with object)
un·de·frayed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use defray in a sentence

The claims appeared to serve as a tacit admission that Amazon, Facebook and Google each intend to raise their ad rates to defray the cost of new taxes.
Silicon Valley-backed groups sue Maryland to kill country’s first-ever online advertising tax | Tony Romm | February 18, 2021 | Washington Post
A family friend organized a fundraiser to help defray the cost of the funeral.
Dying on the Waitlist | by David Armstrong and Marshall Allen | February 18, 2021 | ProPublica
Both companies let customers share rides to defray costs, but it takes a lot to fill a Falcon 9, so minor missions often tag along with larger ones and launch on their terms.
SpaceX won’t be the only company launching commercial rockets in 2021 | Charlie Wood | January 22, 2021 | Popular-Science
The team is said to have partly defrayed the cost of the drugs by selling bicycles provided by sponsors.
Why Victoria Gotti Is Rooting for Banned Cyclist Lance Armstrong | Michael Daly | October 23, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
A substantial balance had been handed over to Mrs. Sinclair, and this defrayed the expenses of the funeral.
The Underworld | James C. Welsh

As is well known, the expenses of the educational department are defrayed from the other half of the income of the fund.
Thoughts on Educational Topics and Institutions | George S. Boutwell
All expenses after the marriage are, of course, defrayed by the bridegroom.
The Complete Bachelor | Walter Germain
The expenses of The Lantern—including a generous douceur to myself—were all defrayed by the Empress.
The Collected Works of Ambrose Bierce | Ambrose Bierce
The expenses in a rural parish are defrayed by means of a rate raised with, and as part of, Public Libraries Acts.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 4 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for defray

defray

/ (dɪˈfreɪ) /

verb

(tr) to furnish or provide money for (costs, expenses, etc); pay

Origin of defray

C16: from Old French deffroier to pay expenses, from de- dis- 1 + frai expenditure, originally: cost incurred through breaking something, from Latin frangere to break

Derived forms of defray

defrayable, adjective
defrayal or defrayment, noun
defrayer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse