disbursement
AmericanUsage
What does disbursement mean? Disbursement is the act of paying out money, or the payment itself. Because the meaning of disbursement focuses on money and payment, the word is almost exclusively used in financial and business spheres—especially when the exchange of money is formal. Example: The disbursement of paychecks was delayed due to a clerical error, causing much grumbling among the staff.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of disbursement
From the Middle French word desboursement, dating back to 1590–1600. See disburse, -ment
Explanation
Disbursement means the payment of money from a fund or account. If the disbursement of paychecks at your job was delayed because your boss forgot to fill out some paperwork, you'd probably be furious. Disbursement is a noun that describes the spending or distributing of money. Governments manage the disbursement of funds to various departments and groups. The word disbursement comes from the Old French word desbourser, "extract money from a purse," with bourse meaning "purse." Don't confuse disbursement with dispersement, which means "separating or scattering."
Vocabulary lists containing disbursement
Richard Nixon's "Checkers" Speech (1952)
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List 10
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"Building Design and Construction Handbook," Vocabulary from Section 1
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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:
“We remain committed to helping facilitate the timely disbursement of insurance proceeds as requirements are met.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
This makes it difficult to calculate how much each World Cup player is getting paid during the tournament, as the exact disbursement breakdown for all 48 soccer federations is not fully known.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026
A House disbursement report shows Suozzi paying $800 per month for lodging starting in March 2024.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
Instead of taking a standard annual disbursement of 5%—about $4.5 million—St. Michael’s drew nearly $20 million over two years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 9, 2026
Still great care should be taken in availing oneself of their reports, often inflated with imaginary successes to justify the disbursement of the hundreds of thousands of francs that they pocketed.
From History of the Commune of 1871 by Lissagary, P.
Outside of monetary policy, inflation impacts mortgage rates for homeowners, eligibility for school lunch subsidies, Social Security disbursements, and more.
From Slate ● Apr. 24, 2026
In some cases this will involve adjusting existing loan programs, including by accelerating disbursements or providing additional financing.
From Barron's ● Apr. 9, 2026
These provisions will mainly be taken in 2026, with disbursements from the plan scheduled for 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 25, 2026
The attorney for my late father stated that all beneficiaries needed to wait 10 months before disbursements from the sale of the home could be released.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2025
He also keeps an account of all receipts and disbursements and makes an annual report to the town meeting.
From Government in the United States National, State and Local by Garner, James Wilford
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.
