repay

[ ri-pey ]

/ rɪˈpeɪ /

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See synonyms for: repay / repaid on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), re·paid, re·pay·ing.

to pay back or refund, as money.

to make return for: She repaid the compliment with a smile.

to make return to in any way: We can never repay you for your help.

to return: to repay a visit.

verb (used without object), re·paid, re·pay·ing.

to make repayment or return.

OTHER WORDS FOR repay

1 reimburse, indemnify.

3 requite, reward.

See synonyms for repay on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of repay

From the Middle French word repaier, dating back to 1520–30. See re-, pay¹

OTHER WORDS FROM repay

re·pay·a·ble, adjectivere·pay·a·bil·i·ty, nounre·pay·ment, nounnon·re·pay·a·ble, adjective

non·re·pay·ing, adjectiveun·re·paid, adjectiveun·re·pay·a·ble, adjectivewell-re·paid, adjective

How to use repay in a sentence

The patrons repaid the mob by buying cheap liquor at premium prices, along with bootleg cigarettes and sometimes drugs.
A True Tough Guy: The Mafia, Gays, and Michael Sam’s Boyfriend|Michael Daly|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I think they looked at it as an opportunity to effectively get disguised financing…that is going to be repaid at a premium.
How the Kings of Fracking Double-Crossed Their Way to Riches|ProPublica|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This spring Tesla repaid its loan from the Department of Energy several years early and raised $1 billion in private capital.
Tesla’s Rise Forces Other Automakers to Up Their Electric Car Game|Daniel Gross|September 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The credit system functions only if people can sleep at night secure in the knowledge that their loans will be repaid.
China’s Market Shivers and the World Freaks Out|Daniel Gross|June 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Carl is repaid for his worldliness with failure and ignominy.
American Dreams: ‘O Pioneers!’ by Willa Cather|Nathaniel Rich|February 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
At this exhibition I found a splendid display of crocidolite, the sight of which well repaid the visit.
Asbestos|Robert H. Jones
For anything of his own which he had spent on the clearing he was to be repaid, and all the money Eudora had put by was to be his.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
The proclamation embodying this Act permitted the temporary use of municipal lands, the seed supplied to be repaid after the crop.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
As she heard those words, and saw his pleased looks, Nelly felt she was well repaid for all her trouble.
The Nursery, August 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 2|Various
Their kindness and the inspiration of their example must be reckoned among those things that cannot be repaid.
Frdric Mistral|Charles Alfred Downer

British Dictionary definitions for repay

repay

/ (rɪˈpeɪ) /

verb -pays, -paying or -paid

to pay back (money) to (a person); refund or reimburse

to make a return for (something) by way of compensationto repay kindness

Derived forms of repay

repayable, adjectiverepayment, noun

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

repay

OTHER WORDS FOR repay

Origin of repay

OTHER WORDS FROM repay

Words related to repay

How to use repay in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for repay

Derived forms of repay