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:
“However, wages only adjusted with a significant lag. With the labor market still relatively resilient, it was argued that, over time, workers could seek to recoup lost purchasing power,” it added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 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
He sued the station's owner ARN Media for wrongful termination and sought to recoup A$85m.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Vincent has spent so much of Theo’s money getting the house ready, he’s sure that no matter how well he and Gauguin work, they will never recoup the expenses.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
But even if it recoups it, this may not suffice to persuade foreigners to buy German cars, medical equipment or tunnel-boring machines they no longer need.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
If a dental practice underdelivers – classed as below 96% of the contract value – the NHS then recoups money from practices the following year.
From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026
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
Four prosperous years have since added to their numbers, and the rent they pay more than recoups the Treasury for the interest on its outlay in the purchase and settlement.
From The Long White Cloud by Reeves, William Pember
However it isn't clear how much could be recouped using this method.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
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
—European stocks gained at market open, as defense stocks recouped some losses from the last session and technology companies continued to trade up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
While gold recouped part of its earlier losses, remaining about 9% below levels seen at the start of the conflict, with persistent risks to energy supplies and damaged infrastructure likely to keep inflation uncertainty elevated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
He had recouped himself for the overcharge on the cup of tea.
From Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland by Holmes, Daniel Turner
These forced timeouts applied to single stocks came after the so-called flash crash in 2010, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 700 points in eight minutes before recouping much of the loss.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
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
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
Samsung's stock notched its largest daily percentage gain in more than 17 years-- rising 11%--while SK Hynix added 9.3%, more than recouping Monday's losses.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 3, 2026
My hopes, however, of recouping my heavy losses were dashed almost instantly to the ground.
From The Mapleson Memoirs, vol II 1848-1888 by Mapleson, James H.
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.
