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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Usage
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”
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.
I’m very upset with this, as I believe this means when the money is disbursed, it will count as a lump-sum distribution.
From MarketWatch
Volunteers disbursed food containers for about 5,000 vehicles, according to the food bank.
From Los Angeles Times
However, interest on unsubsidized loans begins accruing as soon as the funds are disbursed, and the borrower is responsible for paying that interest over the life of the loan.
From MarketWatch
Funds from the swap line haven’t yet been disbursed as Treasury officials debate what collateral from Argentina can be used to shield U.S. taxpayers from losses, the people said.
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.
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.
