voucher

American  

[vou-cher] / ˈvaʊ tʃər /

noun

1. a person or thing that vouches.

2. a document, receipt, stamp, or the like, that gives evidence of an expenditure.

3. a form authorizing a disbursement of cash or a credit against a purchase or expense to be made in the future.

4. a written authorization.

5. a piece of evidence or proof.

6. school voucher.

7. Early English Law.

   1. a person called into court to warrant another's title.

   2. the act of vouching another person to make good a warranty.

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verb (used with object)

1. to pay for, guarantee, or authorize by voucher.

2. to prepare a voucher for.

voucher British  

/ ˈvaʊtʃə /

noun

1. a document serving as evidence for some claimed transaction, as the receipt or expenditure of money

2. a ticket or card serving as a substitute for cash

   a gift voucher

3. a person or thing that vouches for the truth of some statement, etc

4. any of certain documents that various groups of British nationals born outside Britain must obtain in order to settle in Britain

5. obsolete English law

   1. the summoning into court of a person to warrant a title to property

   2. the person so summoned

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voucher Cultural  

1. A credit of a certain monetary value that can be used only for a specified purpose, such as to pay for housing or for food. Food stamps are a kind of voucher.

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Discover More

Some economists believe that goods and services supplied by the government would be provided more efficiently if vouchers that could be spent only on such goods and services were given to citizens, and private business competed to provide those goods and services.

Other Word Forms

• voucherable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of voucher

First recorded in 1525–35; from Anglo-French voucher “to vouch”; originally a French infinitive used as noun but now taken as verb vouch + -er ¹

Explanation

A voucher is a certificate or document that either allows you to purchase something or proves that you paid for something. A voucher is sometimes valuable. When you can vouch for someone, you're willing to recommend them and say they're a good person. A voucher does something similar. For many workers, a voucher is a receipt that proves they spent money on something, like travel, which their company will later pay for. A voucher is also a type of coupon that allows you to purchase something for less or no money, even tuition to a school. Both types of vouchers allow you to save money.

Example Sentences

In YouGov’s 2024 Cooperative Election Study, about two-thirds of black Americans said that their state should provide “school voucher subsidies for families to send their children to private or charter schools.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

Successful applicants will be issued with a £150 heating oil prepaid card through the Huggg voucher platform.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Meanwhile, more than half of voucher recipients were already being privately educated.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026

Compass Pathways confirmed an FDA priority voucher for its psilocybin candidate.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

He introduced a voucher system, which at first functioned as a form of credit, but gradually became a substitute for legal tender.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende

Related Words

• certificate
• coupon
• receipt
• ticket