with interest

Idioms

With more than what one should receive, extra, and then some. For example, Mary borrowed Jane's new dress without asking, but Jane paid her back with interest—she drove off in Mary's car. This idiom alludes to interest in the financial sense. Its figurative use dates from the late 1500s.

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.

Once that money is spent, California has to pay off the $10 billion bond with interest.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026

Stablecoins have traditionally been used to buy other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and their prospects have risen and fallen with interest in crypto trading.

From Barron's • May 10, 2026

Carney said the sovereign-wealth fund will be pursuing equity returns from projects, whereas the infrastructure bank is focused on loans in anticipation of being paid back with interest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

She’s hoping to get about $20,000 refunded along with interest.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 20, 2026

“Yes,” I said with interest, “yes, I was there too.”

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023