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recoup

[ri-koop]
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verb (used with object)
  1. to get back the equivalent of: to recoup one's losses by a lucky investment.
  2. to regain or recover.
  3. to reimburse or indemnify; pay back: to recoup a person for expenses.
  4. Law. to withhold (a portion of something due), having some rightful claim to do so.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to get back an equivalent, as of something lost.
  2. Law. to plead in defense a claim arising out of the same subject matter as the plaintiff's claim.
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noun
  1. an act of recouping.
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Origin of recoup

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French recouper to cut back, cut again, equivalent to re- re- + couper to cut; see coup1
Related formsre·coup·a·ble, adjectivere·coup·ment, nounnon·re·coup·a·ble, adjectiveun·re·coup·a·ble, adjective

Synonyms

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1. recover, restore, retrieve, balance. 3. recompense, remunerate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for recoup

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • This will recoup him for his outlay, because the working capital has not been touched.

  • Dead broke, he was ready for anything which promised to recoup his fortunes.

    The Mask

    Arthur Hornblow

  • The best thing is for me to give our lads a rest to recoup a bit.

    Hunting the Skipper

    George Manville Fenn

  • How they are able to do this, and to recoup themselves, can be imagined.

  • You will find there is far more than enough to recoup the firm.

British Dictionary definitions for recoup

recoup

verb
  1. to regain or make good (a financial or other loss)
  2. (tr) to reimburse or compensate (someone), as for a loss
  3. law to keep back (something due), having rightful claim to do so; withhold; deduct
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Derived Formsrecoupable, adjectiverecoupment, noun

Word Origin

C15: from Old French recouper to cut back, from re- + couper to cut, from coper to behead; see coup 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for recoup

v.

1620s, from French recouper "to cut back" (12c.), from Old French re- "back" (see re-) + couper "to cut," from coup "a blow" (see coup). Originally a legal term meaning "to deduct;" sense of "to recompense for loss or expense" first recorded 1660s. Related: Recouped; recouping.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper