disburse
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to pay out (money), especially for expenses; expend.
- Synonyms:
- lay out
-
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.
Related Words
See spend.
Other Word Forms
- disbursable adjective
- disbursement noun
- disburser noun
- nondisbursable adjective
- nondisbursed adjective
- redisburse verb (used with object)
- undisbursed adjective
- well-disbursed adjective
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.
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
Dame Clare Moriarty, chief executive of the charity, Citizens Advice, said she would like to see the sector work quickly to disburse compensation to the worst affected.
From BBC • May 27, 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
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.
