recoup
Americanverb (used with object)
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to get back the equivalent of.
to recoup one's losses by a lucky investment.
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to regain or recover.
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to reimburse or indemnify; pay back.
to recoup a person for expenses.
- Synonyms:
- remunerate, recompense
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Law. to withhold (a portion of something due), having some rightful claim to do so.
verb (used without object)
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to get back an equivalent, as of something lost.
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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
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to regain or make good (a financial or other loss)
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(tr) to reimburse or compensate (someone), as for a loss
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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
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recoupsimple
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recoupssimple
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have recoupedperfect
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has recoupedperfect
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am recoupingprogressive
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are recoupingprogressive
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is recoupingprogressive
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have been recoupingperfect progressive
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has been recoupingperfect progressive
Past
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recoupedsimple
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had recoupedperfect
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was recoupingprogressive
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were recoupingprogressive
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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 Distance Between Us
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The Odyssey
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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:
The University of Oxford's Migration Observatory questioned how much money the government would actually be able to recoup through the system, pointing to the low rates of employment and earning among refugees.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026
That could raise costs for a variety of businesses, which may then try to recoup those costs by charging consumers higher prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
In the comments of these loss posts, redditors would often joke about working at Wendy’s to recoup losses, which sometimes reach five- or six-figure sums.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 24, 2026
Despite all the online uproar, he said that the hydration breaks are overall beneficial, as they allow networks an extra opportunity to recoup revenue and brands to get additional exposure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
In order to recoup his costs, he set out a cash basket and a sign with the suggested price.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
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
Usually, she said, the agent pays that fee and recoups it once you sell.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 24, 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
CCI says it represents more than 75% of trusts and health boards, and recoups money from visitors for NHS care.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2021
The employer turns the circumstance to advantage, and recoups himself doubly for the inconveniences, that these disturbances put him to, with the payment of much lower wages.
From Woman under socialism by De Leon, Daniel
After one of the largest one-day declines on record Monday, South Korea’s high-flying stock market recouped almost all of those losses Tuesday.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
Those losses were more than recouped by the end of 1976.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026
An outlay in excess of £250m, with little recouped through sales, was substantial but as the season has progressed, the importance of those additions has been proven.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
R&D and infrastructure costs need to be recouped in a relatively small number of sales, Savelsberg said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
He received two warrants for eighty-seven dollars and they recouped them both.
From The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, Vol. 10 (of 12) Dresden Edition?Legal by Ingersoll, Robert Green
But that’s also what gives the movie its charm, especially considering it’s a big-budget studio production that never had a shot at recouping the studio’s investment, even if it were successful.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
Ford has to accelerate production of F-Series trucks to meet its goal of recouping lost pickup volume in 2025, which has been further complicated by rising aluminum prices, Picariello said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026
The shares were up nearly 14% at $109 by midafternoon, more than recouping losses from the previous session amid volatile trading.
From Barron's ● May 5, 2026
Chelsea have already spent about £1.5bn on signings under the current ownership and, despite recouping approximately £750m in sales, they remain under financial scrutiny from Uefa, having faced fines for breaching their regulations.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
She brightened as she realised that they had still one chance—through Alaric—of recouping, even slightly, the family fortunes.
From Peg O' My Heart by Manners, J. Hartley
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.
