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
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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
-
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 Odyssey
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The Distance Between Us
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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:
So you would recoup the cost of the Porsche in less than a year.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
The BOE survey found that 71% of businesses expect the war to lead to narrower profit margins, an indication that they don’t expect to be able to recoup higher costs through higher prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
"Audiences love this movie, but it needs a very long run to recoup its costs, or an over-performance overseas, and neither appears likely," said Gross.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
Rob added that the idea that he might face "another battle" to recoup the tax through compensation made it feel like "you just want to give up".
From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026
In this way, he explained, I should pay back the College of Lucidity for the kindness shown in feeding and clothing me, and they should recoup the expense of maintaining me.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Japan and the U.S. will split the power sales until Japan recoups its $33 billion, after which the American government will get 90% of the revenue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 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
The potential alliance would give it the bulk of OpenAI’s profits until it recoups its investment, and Microsoft would own nearly half of the A.I. start-up.
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2023
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 William Pember Reeves
Tesla recouped some of its postelection losses after shares rose 4.2% to $358.22.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
The tech sector recouped some of its recent losses after AI giant Anthropic filed an S-1 IPO registration form with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
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
The CAA said allowing these costs to be recouped will result in the maximum airport charge per passenger increasing by around 15 pence in 2028, rising to an estimated 30 pence in the following years.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
He owed a certain amount to the treasury, which he recouped from the taxes due from the district for which he contracted.
From Babylonian and Assyrian Laws, Contracts and Letters by C. H. W. (Claude Hermann Walter) Johns
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
But recouping money usually isn’t enough for a studio like Warner Bros., which is always looking for profit margin, not break-even figures.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 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
The U.S. dollar rose against rivals, recouping initial losses as traders weighed the inflation outlook.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
And not to be outdone—urged, I thought, by a pluck at my sleeve—I boldly followed with my own two dollars, reasoning that I was warranted in partially recouping, for Benton owed me much.
From Desert Dust by J. Clinton Shepherd
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
