refund
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to give back or restore (especially money); repay.
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to make repayment to; reimburse.
verb (used without object)
noun
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an act or instance of refunding.
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an amount refunded.
verb (used with object)
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to fund anew.
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Finance.
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to meet (a matured debt structure) by new borrowing, especially through issuance of bonds.
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to replace (an old issue) with a new one.
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verb
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to give back (money), as when an article purchased is unsatisfactory
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to reimburse (a person)
noun
Other Word Forms
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”; see found 3
Origin of refund2
Explanation
To refund is to give money back, especially when someone isn't satisfied with an item they bought or the service they got. If you complain that your restaurant food is undercooked, the manager may refund your money. When you don't actually get what you paid for, you deserve a refund, or a repayment of the money you spent. Most businesses will refund money to unhappy customers, and when you return something — like a pair of pants that doesn't fit — you'll also get a refund. The verb came before the noun, and it originally meant "to pour back," from the Latin root fundere, "to pour."
Vocabulary lists containing refund
Tax Day Words
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Exemptions, Deductions, and Loopholes: Tax Day Vocabulary
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for May 15–May 21, 2021
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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.
His message is “hilariously simple,” says Scott Lincicome, vice president of general economics at the Cato Institute: Refund all importers, and do it fast.
From Barron's • Mar. 4, 2026
Appeared in the January 27, 2026, print edition as 'How to Get a Bigger Tax Refund This Year Under the New Rules'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026
The projection comes in a note titled “The Biggest Tax Refund Season Yet?”
From MarketWatch • Dec. 4, 2025
A prepaid Middle Class Tax Refund card was meant to ease gas prices.
From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2024
“Why, mister, if you was to drive kind of slow, I guarantee you we can pick us up a big piece of change. That’s what me and Johnny been eating off. Refund money.”
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
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.
