voucher

American  

[vau-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

If we wanted our school to tap the voucher money, we’d have to go through some additional steps such as getting criminal background checks.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026

Even those who have already booked a flight should keep tracking it: If the fare does happen to drop, the airline could issue a voucher for the difference.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Citing ballooning costs, he has also pushed back on a City Council law expanding a rental voucher program that he supported as a candidate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Arnold, who donated a £150 goodwill voucher from Sainsbury's to a local food bank, questioned why the system remains active elsewhere.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Ghosh told Ashoke that he had recently returned to India after spending two years in England on a job voucher, but that he had come back home because his wife was inconsolably miserable abroad.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Abbott spent a substantial amount of his political capital on that vouchers bill.

From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026

Throwing in honeymoon vouchers and cash handouts for new babies, the government aims to create what it calls a “birth-friendly society.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Inspired by Coxon and a formula in number theory known as the Chicken McNugget Theorem, they pooled their remaining food vouchers and bought hundreds of nuggets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

A further 60 families received £30 uniform vouchers when the charity was unable to provide a blazer for their child's school.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

She did it to get the extra food vouchers from the government every month.

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

Related Words

• certificate
• coupon
• receipt
• ticket