recoup

American  

[ri-koop] / rɪˈkup /

verb (used with object)

1. to get back the equivalent of.

   to recoup one's losses by a lucky investment.

   Synonyms:

   balance, retrieve, restore, recover

2. to regain or recover.

3. to reimburse or indemnify; pay back.

   to recoup a person for expenses.

   Synonyms:

   remunerate, recompense

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. (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

1. an act of recouping.

recoup British  

/ rɪˈkuːp /

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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Other Word Forms

• nonrecoupable adjective
• recoupable adjective
• recoupment noun
• unrecoupable adjective

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."

Example Sentences

Ireland’s finance ministry is set to recoup 930.7 million euros from the sale, a portion of the amount it injected into the bank to prevent it from collapsing in 2011.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Arsenal sources indicate they would look to recoup a minimum combined £100m for Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

Instead, the company is hoping lawsuits from other businesses will create a fair process where everyone can recoup their payments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

Commerce and Bell Gardens will both place measures on the June ballot proposing a 0.25 percentage point increase in sales tax to recoup general funds the cities would lose due to the ban.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

Would she be able to organize, sketch, and gather enough specimens to recoup all the hard-earned money spent on this voyage?

From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman

Related Words

• compensate
• get back
• redeem
• refund
• regain
• reimburse
• repay
• win back