voucher

American  

[vou-cher] / ˈvaʊ tʃər /

noun

• vouchers
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• voucherable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• vouchers
  plural

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

See Examples For:

voucher vouchers

The couple were given a room refund, as well as a £100 Travelodge voucher - which Grieve said he doubted they would use.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Advocates of private-school voucher programs argue against restrictions on how the schools operate and push back against the type of oversight enforced on public schools.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

“Now, if someone with a housing voucher wants to rent, they have to wait until the unit is inspected. This allows the owner to get the inspection ahead of time,” she said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

Earlier this year, California’s clean-truck voucher program reserved $165 million to subsidize Tesla’s planned electric semitruck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026

The voucher was verified, the fare showed as paid, and my avatar vanished.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

At a box in the back of the shop, there is a stack of envelopes filled with gift vouchers that can be picked up by anyone.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

For every 2,000 vouchers sold, six trips will fall into the gold tier and 12 in silver.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

The value of free spay and neuter vouchers for pets increased last year from $70 to $120 for cats but the budget allocated for them did not, so fewer vouchers were issued overall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

"If they had done it as vouchers I don't think it would have received the same backlash," she said.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

“This isn’t about the free-ticket vouchers again, is it? I swear I triple-checked the accounting before I turned them in. The numbers should be good this time.”

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• certificate
• coupon
• receipt
• ticket