stipend
Americannoun
-
a periodic payment, especially a scholarship or fellowship allowance granted to a student.
-
fixed or regular pay; salary.
noun
Synonym Usage
See pay 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of stipend
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English stipendie, from Latin stīpendium “soldier's pay,” syncopated variant of *stipipendium, equivalent to stipi-, combining form of stips a coin + pend(ere) “to weigh out, pay” ( see pend) + -ium noun suffix ( see -ium)
Compare meaning
How does stipend compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A stipend is a fixed, regular payment, usually meant to pay for something specific. It's kind of like an allowance, but for grownups — a college scholarship might include a stipend each semester for books, for example. Coming from the Latin stipendium, which means “tax, pay, or gift,” the noun stipend is defined as a regular, unchanging payment usually given as reward for services, but sometimes given as an allowance with no services or expectations attached. A summer internship that does not offer a full salary might instead include a weekly stipend that covers transportation and lunch costs. Synonyms include salary and payment.
Vocabulary lists containing stipend
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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.
As a Vietnam War veteran, Bo Kemper gets a stipend from the U.S.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 16, 2026
Since becoming a professional athlete, Mané has also supplied the school with free laptops and internet service and paid a monthly stipend equal to Senegal’s minimum wage to each family in the town.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
He went to Kenyon College, where he said he “directed a ton,” and did the internships that “had a little bit of stipend or would house you in the summer.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
The company gives each employee a monthly stipend of about $500 to spend on AI tools, including those from its rivals, Yun said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Our first meeting is Wednesday at lunch, and we even got a stipend so we can have snacks.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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.
