disburse
Americanverb (used with object)
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disburses,
present (3rd person singular)
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disbursed,
past participle, past
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disbursing
present participle
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to pay out (money), especially for expenses; expend.
- Synonyms:
- lay out
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to distribute or scatter.
Our troops were disbursed over a wide area. She disbursed the flowers to the children.
verb
Usage
What does disburse mean? Disburse most commonly means to pay out money. Disburse is typically used in the context of finance and business—especially when the exchange of money is formal. The noun form of disburse is disbursement, meaning the act of paying out money, or the payment itself. Disburse can also mean to distribute or scatter, but this sense is much less commonly used. (This sense sounds a lot like and means just about the same thing as disperse.)Example: The staff is upset because payroll hasn’t disbursed paychecks yet due to a clerical error.
Synonym Usage
See spend.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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disbursementnoun
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disbursernoun
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redisburseverb (used with object)
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disbursableadjective
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nondisbursableadjective
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nondisbursedadjective
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undisbursedadjective
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well-disbursedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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disbursesimple
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disbursessimple
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have disbursedperfect
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has disbursedperfect
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am disbursingprogressive
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are disbursingprogressive
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is disbursingprogressive
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have been disbursingperfect progressive
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has been disbursingperfect progressive
Past
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disbursedsimple
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had disbursedperfect
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was disbursingprogressive
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were disbursingprogressive
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had been disbursingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of disburse
First recorded in 1520–30; from Middle French desbourser, Old French desborser, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + -borser, derivative of borse purse, from Late Latin bursa “bag”
Explanation
If someone wants to disburse funds to you, stick around — it means they're going to give you money! Disburse is a fancy, financial word that is just an official way of saying to pay or give out money. Parents don't disburse allowance money, they give it, and if your friend owes you five bucks, he'll pay you what he owes. On the other hand, lawyers disburse funds from a will. The government disburses money for grants and federal projects. And if you get a mortgage, the bank disburses a check to the seller of the house you bought.
Vocabulary lists containing disburse
"The Tragedy of Macbeth," Vocabulary from Act 1
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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The Cuckoo's Calling
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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:
He said one of his first trips as prime minister would be to Brussels, where he hopes to persuade European Union leaders to disburse some $20 billion in aid withheld from his country under Orbán.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
"The Commission may not disburse EU funds to a member state until the required legislative reforms are in force and are effectively being applied," a court statement said.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
Other experts point to serious concerns on fees charged by the two money transfer companies exclusively licensed to disburse money from Sham Cash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2025
After Long reached out to the White House for comment, Elez, who had gained unprecedented, dangerous control over the source code of Treasury systems that disburse Social Security and Medicare payments, appeared to resign.
From Slate ● Feb. 14, 2025
Mom and Dad took Laleh trick-or-treating, while I was assigned to monitor the house and disburse candy as necessary.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Since 2021, the organization has received at least $25 million in grants from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which disburses city, county and federal funds to address the region’s homelessness problem.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
There has also been unease at a six-percent reduction in the budget for the development department, which disburses aid.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
Evers’ office said the $290 million payment will go to the district, which will invest the money and collect interest on it as it disburses funds to cover repairs.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2023
The government has said it would raise teachers' wages once the European Commission disburses EU recovery funding, with pay hikes coming over a period of 3 years.
From Reuters ● Dec. 3, 2022
The Treasurer of the United States receives and keeps its moneys, disburses them on the Secretary's warrants, and manages the Independent Treasury System.
From Government and Administration of the United States by Westel W. Willoughby
The human rights leader said she felt safe in Berlin, despite being distanced from friends and home and her family, which she said was now disbursed over eight countries.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
The public funds, if disbursed, would come from the federal judgment fund, which is a Congress-approved ongoing appropriation that allows the Justice Department to settle cases and make payouts.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
According to the lawsuit, he set up a DAF in 2005 and added millions of dollars he wanted disbursed per his Christian evangelical principles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
Under the legislation, the Repayment Assistance Program will become the default income-driven plan for loans disbursed after July 1, 2026, and existing borrowers must switch to the program by 2028.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
Our raid is applauded as a success; the choicest of the meats have already been disbursed among the galleys of the wealthiest among His Lordship’s supporters.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
The World Bank said Friday it was disbursing $200 million in emergency funds for the disaster response, as well as a mechanism to assess economic losses to help "prioritize aid and reconstruction efforts."
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
It received a lifeline in April 2025, when the county announced that it would be disbursing the hospital $3 million collected via Measure B, which brought in about $427 million in fiscal year 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Escrow providers ensure each payment complies with the terms of the contract, disbursing money to IVF clinics, the surrogate, insurance companies and hospitals for nine months or more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2025
Earlier this month, the government said it had started disbursing 2,500 dirhams in monthly assistance to each affected household, as part of a year-long cash relief program.
From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2023
Seventh.—To make requisition on the Secretary of War for funds needed from time to time in the proper prosecution of the work, and to designate the disbursing officers authorized to receipt for the same.
From The Panama Canal A history and description of the enterprise by J. Saxon Mills
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.
