rebate
1 Americannoun
verb (used with object)
-
rebates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rebated,
past participle, past
-
rebating
present participle
-
to allow as a discount.
-
to deduct (a certain amount), as from a total.
-
to return (part of an original payment).
He rebated five dollars to me.
-
to provide a rebate for (merchandise) after purchase.
The manufacturer is rebating this air conditioner.
-
to blunt (an edged or pointed weapon).
-
to cover the edge or point of (an edged or pointed weapon) in order to make it incapable of cutting or piercing.
verb (used without object)
-
rebates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rebated,
past participle, past
-
rebating
present participle
noun
noun
noun
verb
-
to deduct (a part) of a payment from (the total)
-
archaic to reduce or diminish (something or the effectiveness of something)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rebatesimple
-
rebatessimple
-
have rebatedperfect
-
has rebatedperfect
-
am rebatingprogressive
-
are rebatingprogressive
-
is rebatingprogressive
-
have been rebatingperfect progressive
-
has been rebatingperfect progressive
Past
-
rebatedsimple
-
had rebatedperfect
-
was rebatingprogressive
-
were rebatingprogressive
-
had been rebatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rebate
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English rebaten (verb), from Old French rabatre “to beat, put down,” from re- re- + (a)batre “to beat” ( see abate)
Explanation
A rebate is a partial refund of the cost of an item. It acts as an incentive to help sell the product. If your new cell phone came with a rebate, you'll get a check in the mail for a certain amount of the cost. A well-known rebate occurred in 2007 when President George Bush issued tax rebate checks to many people in America, giving back some of what each person paid in taxes. Rebate comes from the Old French word rabattre, meaning "beat down, drive back." Rebate can also be used as a verb that refers to giving a reduction in price during a sale. For example, your internet provider might rebate your bill for three months to keep you as a customer.
Vocabulary lists containing rebate
Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Introductory
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - High School
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Personal Finance and Financial Literacy - Middle School
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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:
It has called on the UK government to scrap any planned fuel duty rises in January, March and April and to introduce an essential user rebate for coaches, lorries and vans.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
The risk is compounded by the elimination in 2021 of a rebate program that allowed tourists to reclaim the value-added tax they paid on souvenirs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
Mr Long is waiting to hear from the local authority about his request for a council tax rebate.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Discounts: Many premium credit cards will rebate the fee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
He then trims up the edges of the protruding putty and bevels off the putty on the rebate or outside of the sash with a putty knife.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 1 "Gichtel, Johann" to "Glory" by Various
And they didn’t get any of their taxes rebated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2021
Under the program, the permitting approval process for outdoor seating will be shortened and application fees will be waived or rebated.
From Washington Post ● May 26, 2020
The state of Oklahoma issues the plates and registrations for the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations and a portion of the fees the state collects are then rebated back to the tribes.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 29, 2018
One was a program related to robo-adviser unit Amerivest that rebated some fees for new clients whose portfolios performed poorly.
From Reuters ● Dec. 6, 2016
As late as Cotgrave we find floret, "a foile; a sword with the edge rebated."
From The Romance of Words (4th ed.) by Ernest Weekley
UnitedHealth plans to return profits from the Affordable Care Act marketplace to consumers by voluntarily eliminating and rebating profits this year.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
Sales have steadily declined since hitting $19.14 billion world-wide in 2015, however, partly because insurers have limited use to the dwindling supply of the sickest patients and Gilead has increased rebating to cope with competition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2018
“As much as the drugmakers complain about the rebating scheme, they’ve grown as dependent on its subterfuge, opacity and inequity as everyone else in the system,” he wrote.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 10, 2017
It would also create a detailed program for rebating those revenues to economically vulnerable populations who would be adversely affected by the subsequent hit to the fossil fuel industries.
From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2015
But such people will no doubt be able to claim rebates, and rebating is one of the most healthy and instructive of our British parlour games.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 158, 1920-03-31 by Various
The brokerage also foresees front-loading of exports for hybrid plug-ins and full EVs from 4Q26 to 1Q27 to avoid the impact of lower export-tax rebates.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
The state is also seeing lots more people buying used EVs, and lawmakers have approved millions in state incentives to replace lost federal rebates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
An existing bill offering tax rebates on fiber-optic equipment was hastily rewritten to provide tax breaks on data center gear.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
But with rebates flowing, counterparties are now suing some of these companies for pocketing those higher costs.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026
They reappear too easily in the form of rebates and even of allowances which belong to the more private chapters of capitalist history.
From British Socialism An Examination of Its Doctrines, Policy, Aims and Practical Proposals by J. Ellis Barker
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