disburse
Americanverb (used with object)
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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:
This means the sponsor isn’t legally required to disburse funds as the DAF donor requests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 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
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
The court agreed with the SBA’s position that it was not legally obligated to disburse the funds.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024
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
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
Dbeibah's government is recognised by the Central Bank of Libya, which disburses funds to government departments across the country.
From Reuters ● Sep. 11, 2023
The Gator Collective is an independent fundraising arm that disburses money to student-athletes in all sports.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2023
Instead, we recommend an inclusive, global public investment funding model that gives lower-income countries a seat at the table and disburses funds based on a country’s needs and finances.
From Scientific American ● Nov. 17, 2022
The Deb Zimpun, the official sent into our territory every year to receive it, now hands it over to the Maharajah, who disburses it.
From Life in an Indian Outpost by Casserly, Gordon
A U.A.E. official said the country has already disbursed about $100 million to the Board of Peace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 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
Even then, however, they assured Lawrence that the funds could be disbursed “subject to your discretion without the usual University restrictions.”
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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
Otherwise there could be chaos in disbursing public money to pay bills and deliver promised wage increases to public servants.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2024
Lan is accused of disbursing $44 billion in loans to herself and her allies between 2012 to 2022, and the documents related to the case weigh 6 tons, according to VN Express.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2024
That eventually resulted in the company admitting guilt and disbursing a settlement of $600 million.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2023
Up to that time there was no disbursing agent and large sums of money were placed in the hands of irresponsible agents and never reached their legitimate destination.
From Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution by Judson, L. Carroll
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.
