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Synonyms

refund

1 American  
[ri-fuhnd, ree-fuhnd, ree-fuhnd] / rɪˈfʌnd, ˈri fʌnd, ˈri fʌnd /

verb (used with object)

  1. to give back or restore (especially money); repay.

  2. to make repayment to; reimburse.

verb (used without object)

  1. to make repayment.

noun

  1. an act or instance of refunding.

  2. an amount refunded.

refund 2 American  
[ree-fuhnd] / riˈfʌnd /

verb (used with object)

  1. to fund anew.

  2. Finance.

    1. to meet (a matured debt structure) by new borrowing, especially through issuance of bonds.

    2. to replace (an old issue) with a new one.

refund British  

verb

  1. to give back (money), as when an article purchased is unsatisfactory

  2. to reimburse (a person)

"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

noun

  1. return of money to a purchaser or the amount so returned

"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

Other Word Forms

  • nonrefundability noun
  • nonrefundable adjective
  • refundability noun
  • refundable adjective
  • refunder noun
  • refundment noun
  • unrefundable adjective

Etymology

Origin of refund1

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb refunden “to export, transmit,” from Old French refonder, refunder “to reimburse” and Latin refundere “to pour back,” equivalent to re- re- + fundere “to pour”; found 3

Origin of refund2

First recorded in 1855–60; re- + fund

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.

Meanwhile, the average tax refund is about $350 higher this year than in 2025.

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

In the weeks following the attack, staff from the chief executive's office offered the victim a £30 refund, an offer that the victim said was "insulting".

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Kerr was told the refund would process in three to four weeks.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

If his refund were to come immediately, Gross said, he could greenlight a $300,000 order for a new collection of glasses from China that he could sell during his busiest season.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

I was on the verge of asking her to take it back and give me a refund when the clerk emerged from the back room carrying the puzzle box all wrapped in pink paper.

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

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.