disburse

[ dis-burs ]
See synonyms for: disbursedisbursed on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object),dis·bursed, dis·burs·ing.
  1. to pay out (money), especially for expenses; expend.

  2. to distribute or scatter: Our troops were disbursed over a wide area. She disbursed the flowers to the children.

Origin of disburse

1
First recorded in 1520–30; from Middle French desbourser,Old French desborser, equivalent to des-dis-1 + -borser, derivative of borsepurse, from Late Latin bursa “bag”

synonym study For disburse

1. See spend.

Other words for disburse

Other words from disburse

  • dis·burs·a·ble, adjective
  • dis·burs·er, noun
  • non·dis·burs·a·ble, adjective
  • non·dis·bursed, adjective
  • re·dis·burse, verb (used with object), re·dis·bursed, re·dis·burs·ing.
  • un·dis·bursed, adjective
  • well-dis·bursed, adjective

Words that may be confused with disburse

Words Nearby disburse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use disburse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for disburse

disburse

/ (dɪsˈbɜːs) /


verb
  1. (tr) to pay out

Origin of disburse

1
C16: from Old French desborser, from des- dis- 1 + borser to obtain money, from borse bag, from Late Latin bursa

usage For disburse

Disburse is sometimes wrongly used where disperse is meant: the police used a water cannon to disperse (not disburse) the crowd

Derived forms of disburse

  • disbursable, adjective
  • disbursement, noun
  • disburser, 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