recoup
Americanverb (used with object)
-
recoups,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recouped,
past participle, past
-
recouping
present participle
-
to get back the equivalent of.
to recoup one's losses by a lucky investment.
-
to regain or recover.
-
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)
-
recoups,
present (3rd person singular)
-
recouped,
past participle, past
-
recouping
present participle
-
to get back an equivalent, as of something lost.
-
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
-
to regain or make good (a financial or other loss)
-
(tr) to reimburse or compensate (someone), as for a loss
-
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
-
recoupsimple
-
recoupssimple
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have recoupedperfect
-
has recoupedperfect
-
am recoupingprogressive
-
are recoupingprogressive
-
is recoupingprogressive
-
have been recoupingperfect progressive
-
has been recoupingperfect progressive
Past
-
recoupedsimple
-
had recoupedperfect
-
was recoupingprogressive
-
were recoupingprogressive
-
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:
To recoup some of their considerable investment, plants break down chlorophyll, then draw its chemical components and other nutrients through the stem and into the trunk and roots for later reuse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Despite the hiccups, Monday’s mission should let SpaceX begin to recoup some of the $15 billion-plus it has spent on the rocket.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
To recoup the $2.2 billion owed, Pfizer is going after money used to pay air-traffic controllers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
The measure also calls for the new state fund to establish regulations that would allow it to recoup part of its investments, while not damaging innovation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 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
Airbnb plans to reinvest the funds it recoups into additional projects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 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
Giving them housing, on the other hand, quickly recoups most of the costs through the benefits of improved health and employment.
From New York Times ● Nov. 12, 2021
Afterwards a small assessment is levied on the villagers, of a 'pice' or two 'pice' each, about a halfpenny of our money, and which recoups the putwarree for his outlay.
From Sport and Work on the Nepaul Frontier Twelve Years Sporting Reminiscences of an Indigo Planter by James Inglis
But with this particular ETF, missed coupons may be recouped should the reference asset climb back above the barrier, Staudt noted.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
City have recouped more than £250m from selling young players over the past five years alone.
From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026
Big budget films like The Marvels and The Thunderbolts recouped their production costs but were among the studio's lowest-grossing films.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Under an original agreement from 2012, Canada would collect all toll revenue until it recouped its construction costs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The admiral in command appears to have recouped after the error of two days ago, when that Polluxian detachment was so badly mauled.
From The Outbreak of Peace by Horace Brown Fyfe
Monday’s launch is also Starship’s first revenue-generating flight, which will allow SpaceX to begin recouping some of the $15 billion-plus it has spent on the rocket.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
They suggest a one-time revenue bump of about $29 billion, recouping a big chunk of previously deferred taxes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
But representatives for landlords say doing so would leave them with few desirable options for recouping the cost of utilities and would hurt conservation efforts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
On Thursday, he said the underlying agreement on recouping the toll revenues between Canada and the state of Michigan remains in place.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Re-outfitted thus, Mr. Splurge without fear Began as Lord Splurge his recouping career.
From The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
