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
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rebatessimple
-
have rebatedperfect
-
has rebatedperfect
-
am rebatingprogressive
-
are rebatingprogressive
-
is rebatingprogressive
-
have been rebatingperfect progressive
-
has been rebatingperfect progressive
Past
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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:
Discounts: Many premium credit cards will rebate the fee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
In May, Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a $1-billion rebate program for electric trucks, stating the state is committed to “clean technologies that will define the future of transportation.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
Walmart, the US's largest retailer, said the nearly $3bn in tariff rebate it anticipated would help it continue a programme of price cuts or "rollbacks" that it expanded earlier this year, external.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
IDEX, which sells pumps and valves to a range of industries, said it expected to rebate $14.7 million to customers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The lower course is 63 worked with a rebate to fit the upper course.
From A Catalogue of Sculpture in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum, Volume I (of 2) by A. H. Smith
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
A better idea would be a market-based carbon tax, with revenue rebated to consumers.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 22, 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
Only Wallingford knew that, the contract not being completed, part of it could be rebated, though only a small part, but he was not saying anything.
From Young Wallingford by George Randolph Chester
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
Despite the Interstate Commerce act, the practice of rebating had continued.
From The United States Since the Civil War by Charles Ramsdell Lingley
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
The subsidies and rebates offered by some local governments may not be enough to offset the cost of the switch.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Sony earnings in the April-June quarter were solid but were propped up by U.S. tariff rebates and a weak yen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
With its enlarged powers the Interstate Commerce Commission made rapid headway against rebates and discrimination.
From The New Nation by William E. Dodd
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.
