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repo

1 American  
[ree-poh] / ˈri poʊ /

noun

plural

repos

  1. a repurchase agreement.

repo 2 American  
[ree-poh] / ˈri poʊ /

noun

plural

repos

  1. a repossessed property, especially a financed dwelling repossessed by the bank or other financing institution for delinquency of payment and offered for resale.

    We bought this trailer as a repo and have lived in it for 12 years, but now with kids we’re running out of room.

adjective

  1. engaged in or relating to the business of repossessing or taking back high-priced merchandise, such as motor vehicles or machinery, from buyers who have failed to pay.

    I’m told that a repo company can just go to an address, find the car parked, and grab it.

verb (used with object)

  1. to repossess or take back (merchandise) from buyers who have failed to pay.

    When their dry cleaning business really began to struggle, the bank repoed all their equipment.
repo 3 American  
[ree-poh] / ˈri poʊ /

noun

Computers Informal.

plural

repos

  1. repository.

repo British  
/ ˈriːpəʊ /

noun

  1. repurchase agreement

    1. repossession of property

    2. ( as modifier )

      a repo car
"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

Etymology

Origin of repo1

First recorded in 1960–65; rep(urchase) + -o

Origin of repo2

By shortening of repossess; see -o

Origin of repo3

First recorded in 1990–95

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.

With market-determined interbank rates, the Fed could stop paying interest on reserves and reduce its footprint in repo markets.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 21, 2026

Against that backdrop, the RBI voted unanimously to hold the policy repo rate at 5.25%, pausing for a second time after delivering a rate cut in December.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Banks and other institutions rely daily on that abundance of cash to settle payments, fund trades, and lend to each other overnight in the repo, or repurchase market.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

South Africa’s central bank is expected to keep its main repo rate unchanged at 6.75% in a decision on Thursday.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

He had a nice house he had gotten on a mortgage repo for $48,000.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

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.