recoup
Americanverb (used with object)
-
recoups,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recouped,
past participle, past
-
recouping
present participle
-
to get back the equivalent of.
to recoup one's losses by a lucky investment.
-
to regain or recover.
-
to reimburse or indemnify; pay back.
to recoup a person for expenses.
- Synonyms:
- remunerate, recompense
-
Law. to withhold (a portion of something due), having some rightful claim to do so.
verb (used without object)
-
recoups,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recouped,
past participle, past
-
recouping
present participle
-
to get back an equivalent, as of something lost.
-
Law. (of a defendant in a lawsuit) to plead that one is owed, in the same matter, an amount by the plaintiff which applies against the payment of one’s own debt to the plaintiff.
noun
verb
-
to regain or make good (a financial or other loss)
-
(tr) to reimburse or compensate (someone), as for a loss
-
law to keep back (something due), having rightful claim to do so; withhold; deduct
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
recoupsimple
-
recoupssimple
-
have recoupedperfect
-
has recoupedperfect
-
am recoupingprogressive
-
are recoupingprogressive
-
is recoupingprogressive
-
have been recoupingperfect progressive
-
has been recoupingperfect progressive
Past
-
recoupedsimple
-
had recoupedperfect
-
was recoupingprogressive
-
were recoupingprogressive
-
had been recoupingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of recoup
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French recouper “to cut back, cut again,” equivalent to re- re- ( def. ) + couper “to cut”; see coup 1 ( def. )
Explanation
To recoup is a kind of recovery: If you lost some money but then made that amount back, you recouped your loss. When you recuperate, you get better after being sick. And when you recoup something, you get better or bounce back after a loss. Businesses that lose money try to recoup it by throwing a sale or cutting their budget. If a runner falls behind in a race but then speeds up to the front of the pack, he's recouped his lead. In some cases this word also means "to reimburse."
Vocabulary lists containing recoup
The Joy Luck Club
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The Odyssey
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The Distance Between Us
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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:
So you would recoup the cost of the Porsche in less than a year.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
Fox has tried to recoup some of those cord-cutters through its direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service Fox One.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
"Audiences love this movie, but it needs a very long run to recoup its costs, or an over-performance overseas, and neither appears likely," said Gross.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
Rob added that the idea that he might face "another battle" to recoup the tax through compensation made it feel like "you just want to give up".
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
No, I had to cancel the dance, recoup what I could, and eat the rest.
From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman
The deal gives the U.S. the right to select where the money goes, and the U.S. would keep 90% of profits on the projects after Japan recoups its investment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
The RSN recoups that by charging cable distributors a licensing amount to carry their channel in as many places as possible.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2023
The potential alliance would give it the bulk of OpenAI’s profits until it recoups its investment, and Microsoft would own nearly half of the A.I. start-up.
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2023
Soto said as he stepped through his mud-streaked living room to his patio, adding that he plans to rebuild, no matter what he recoups from insurance policies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2022
This cheers the Southern heart and partially recoups him for his chickens.
From Comic History of the United States by F. Opper
Tesla recouped some of its postelection losses after shares rose 4.2% to $358.22.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
But with this particular ETF, missed coupons may be recouped should the reference asset climb back above the barrier, Staudt noted.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Oil recouped some of its Monday losses to trade just shy of $85 a barrel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Big budget films like The Marvels and The Thunderbolts recouped their production costs but were among the studio's lowest-grossing films.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
The traffic, especially the conveyance of ivory and other merchandise, would soon have recouped the Government for their original outlay.
From General Gordon A Christian Hero by Seton Churchill
SK Hynix’s shares fell as much as 4.2% in early trade in Seoul before recouping some ground, whipsawing between gains and losses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Monday’s launch is also Starship’s first revenue-generating flight, which will allow SpaceX to begin recouping some of the $15 billion-plus it has spent on the rocket.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
But recouping money usually isn’t enough for a studio like Warner Bros., which is always looking for profit margin, not break-even figures.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
But representatives for landlords say doing so would leave them with few desirable options for recouping the cost of utilities and would hurt conservation efforts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Pending the arrival of the French, Sir Horace was ordered by the C. in C. to send up to their assistance every available man from the 2nd A.C., which was recouping at Pradelles.
From The First Seven Divisions Being a Detailed Account of the Fighting from Mons to Ypres by Ernest W. Hamilton
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
