discount

American  

[dis-kount, dis-kount, dis-kount] / ˈdɪs kaʊnt, dɪsˈkaʊnt, ˈdɪs kaʊnt /

verb (used with object)

• discounts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• discounted,
  past participle,  past
• discounting
  present participle

1. to deduct a certain amount from (a bill, charge, etc.).

   All bills that are paid promptly will be discounted at two percent.

2. to offer for sale or sell at a reduced price.

   The store discounted all clothing for the sale.

3. to advance or lend money with deduction of interest on (commercial paper not immediately payable).

4. to purchase or sell (a bill or note) before maturity at a reduction based on the interest for the time it still has to run.

5. to leave out of account; disregard.

   Even if we discount the irrelevant material, the thesis remains mediocre.

6. to allow for exaggeration in (a statement, opinion, etc.).

   Knowing his political bias they discounted most of his story.

7. to take into account in advance, often so as to diminish the effect of.

   They had discounted the effect of a decline in the stock market.

---

verb (used without object)

• discounts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• discounted,
  past participle,  past
• discounting
  present participle

1. to advance or lend money after deduction of interest.

2. to offer goods or services at a reduced price.

noun

• discounts
  plural

1. the act or an instance of discounting.

2. an amount deducted from the usual list price.

3. any deduction from the nominal value.

4. a payment of interest in advance upon a loan of money.

5. the amount of interest obtained by one who discounts.

6. an allowance made for exaggeration or bias, as in a report, story, etc..

   Even after all the discounts are taken, his story sounds phony.

adjective

1. selling or offered at less than the usual or established price.

   discount theater tickets.

2. selling goods at a discount.

   a discount drugstore.

idioms

1. at a discount,

   1. Commerce. below par.

   2. below the usual list price.

   3. in low esteem or regard.

      His excuses were taken at a discount by all who knew him.

   4. not in demand; unwanted.

      Such ancient superstitions are at a discount in a civilized society.

discount British  

verb

1. to leave out of account as being unreliable, prejudiced, or irrelevant

2. to anticipate and make allowance for, often so as to diminish the effect of

3. 1. to deduct (a specified amount or percentage) from the usual price, cost, etc

   2. to reduce (the regular price, cost, etc) by a stated percentage or amount

4. to sell or offer for sale at a reduced price

5. to buy or sell (a bill of exchange, etc) before maturity, with a deduction for interest determined by the time to maturity and also by risk

6. (also intr) to loan money on (a negotiable instrument that is not immediately payable) with a deduction for interest determined by risk and time to maturity

---

noun

1. a deduction from the full amount of a price or debt, as in return for prompt payment or to a special group of customers See also cash discount trade discount

2. Also called: discount rate. 

   1. the amount of interest deducted in the purchase or sale of or the loan of money on unmatured negotiable instruments

   2. the rate of interest deducted

3. 1. (in the issue of shares) a percentage deducted from the par value to give a reduced amount payable by subscribers

   2. the amount by which the par value of something, esp shares, exceeds its market value Compare premium

4. the act or an instance of discounting a negotiable instrument

5. 1. below the regular price

   2. (of share values) below par

   3. held in low regard; not sought after or valued

6. (modifier) offering or selling at reduced prices

   a discount shop

discount More Idioms  

1. see at a discount.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• discounter
  noun
• prediscount
  noun
• superdiscount
  noun
• overdiscount
  verb (used with object)
• discountable
  adjective
• nondiscount
  adjective
• nondiscountable
  adjective
• nondiscounted
  adjective
• prediscountable
  adjective
• undiscountable
  adjective
• undiscounted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• discounts
  plural

Participles

• discounting
  present
• discounted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• discount
  simple
• discounts
  simple
• have discounted
  perfect
• has discounted
  perfect
• am discounting
  progressive
• are discounting
  progressive
• is discounting
  progressive
• have been discounting
  perfect progressive
• has been discounting
  perfect progressive

Past

• discounted
  simple
• had discounted
  perfect
• was discounting
  progressive
• were discounting
  progressive
• had been discounting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will discount
  simple
• will have discounted
  perfect
• will be discounting
  progressive
• will have been discounting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of discount

First recorded in 1615–25; dis- ¹ + count ¹, modeled on French décompter, Old French desconter, from Medieval Latin discomputāre

Explanation

The noun discount refers to an amount or percentage deducted from the normal selling price of something. If you wait until after the holiday, you can often buy goods at a steep discount — just make sure you need all that stuff. The noun discount means a reduction in price of a good or service. You can ask the manager for a discount if the item is damaged. As a verb, discount means to reduce the price. The manager can discount the item for you. The verb discount also means to disregard, underestimate, or dismiss. If you are a teenager, people will often discount your opinion — but you should keep expressing it because eventually people will listen!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

discount discounts discounted discounting

“We also continue to favor non-correlated assets where investors can create value through operational improvement rather than simply relying on falling discount rates,” he added.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

Even so, sellers should consider a modest price discount because of how high rates are, she said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

French motorists have clogged TotalEnergies service stations in recent months to fill up with discount petrol, after the energy giant capped its prices at 1.99 euros per litre.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

It's tempting to say we should discount such "obvious" picks for this debate, but then there's Mo Salah.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

But most of the people gathered in the meadow wore everyday clothes: faded work shirts or T-shirts and chinos, floral-print dresses that could be found on the discount racks of any department store.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-area dealer GianMarco Taverna typically advertises discounts of 20% or more off the sticker price.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Travel agents and visitors say a flurry of discounts, special events and new attractions convinced families to make their way to The House of Mouse in Florida and California.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Russian crude, displaced from western markets after the invasion of Ukraine, has flowed instead to Indian refineries, often at attractive discounts.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Unmarried drivers will see discounts in the future when insurers seek approval for new rate plans from the department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

In all the CountDowners feeds I’ve read, the Deckers go to five-star restaurants expecting to be treated like kings with courtesy meals, but are only ever offered discounts.

From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera

There was a catastrophe that loomed over the convention, but it wasn’t Bitcoin’s newly discounted cost.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

The CDC contracts with manufacturers of the U.S.-licensed vaccines each year and negotiates discounted prices for federal programs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Creators building out their own space can pick up a discounted soundstage as a result, he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

On the first day of the year Cembalest encouraged investors to reduce the overweight on U.S. equities versus the rest of the world, motivated primarily by the latter’s heavily discounted valuations.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026

If that game was discounted, he claimed, then he would be the winner.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Many Jeep-Ram dealers are on board with Stellantis’s new rules, believing they will curb runaway discounting and allow them to sell cars at higher prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Even as propaganda, it was pretty dumb — never discounting for currency fluctuation, alternative sourcing or domestic capacity increases, to name a few counterindicators.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

Columbia House drew further claims of bad business by allegedly refusing to acknowledge payments, discounting items so that users’ purchases fell just below the agreed-upon threshold and being a notoriously difficult subscription to terminate.

From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026

So far, that hasn’t led to significant discounting, at least in direct-to-consumer sales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

It was still not dark enough for Quentin to start, not yet dark enough to suit Miss Coldfield at least, even discounting the twelve miles out there and the twelve miles back.

From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner

Related Words

• disregard
• doubt
• forget
• minimize
• neglect
• omit
• overlook
• reject