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

• refunds
  plural

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)

---

noun

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• refunds
  plural

---

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

First recorded in 1855–60; re- + fund

---

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

refund refunds

After speaking to Watchdog, she received a full refund.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

When the tax refund checks finally arrived in April 2025, Jauregui used all the money to pay down his company’s MCA obligations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

In the body camera footage, Griffin says she is concerned the league will not provide her family a refund.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, posted a series of screenshots on X in 2025 that showed him asking Tesla for a refund of his Roadster reservation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

If I pay the whole amount before the due date, you will refund the unearned portion of the finance charge.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker

OnBuy told us it had offered affected customers refunds and initiated a recall of the product our analysis identified as containing cadmium.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

Third, the end of tariff refunds could shock some investors, DeBusschere said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

There are four reasons investors should start getting concerned about inflation, according to a financial-research and strategy firm, and the end of tariff refunds, in particular, might become a real shock to investors.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

The latest data released Friday showed that upticks in tax collection from individuals and customs revenues were offset by higher refunds and lower corporate tax collection.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

I’m sure there will be paperwork to do and refunds to get from Saint Augustine’s.

From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• allowance
• compensation
• discount
• kickback
• payment
• rebate
• reimbursement
• repayment
• restitution

---