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

A peer-reviewed study by Scott Niederjohn and Will Flanders, and published in the Journal of School Choice, examined state test scores for students in the statewide and Racine voucher programs from 2018 to 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 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

A single father using a community larder to feed his family says he is facing a difficult summer as food donations fall and voucher schemes end.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

The eviction crisis arose when federal officials announced last year that the $5-billion emergency voucher program approved by Congress in 2021 was running out of funds at the end of 2026.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Whether their voucher and gift card numbers were lined up?

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

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

Matthew said this summer was also going to be very difficult due to Somerset Council ending a scheme where families of children on free school meals automatically get supermarket vouchers over holidays.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Those include grocery vouchers at Food4Less, housing vouchers for those who elect to relocate during cleanup, cash assistance through prepaid cards and support for utility bills.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Los Angeles County has far more eligible residents than vouchers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

Instead, I put back the letter and vouchers the way they were, lick the envelope, and seal it closed.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle

Related Words

• certificate
• coupon
• receipt
• ticket