repay

verb

(ˌ)rē-ˈpā How to pronounce repay (audio)
Definition of repaynext
1
as in to reimburse
to make a return payment to I repaid my friend the $20 he had lent me

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to pay
to make a return for how can we ever repay your kindness?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word repay distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of repay are compensate, indemnify, pay, recompense, reimburse, remunerate, and satisfy. While all these words mean "to give money or its equivalent in return for something," repay stresses paying back an equivalent in kind or amount.

repay a favor with a favor

In what contexts can compensate take the place of repay?

In some situations, the words compensate and repay are roughly equivalent. However, compensate implies a making up for services rendered.

an attorney well compensated for her services

When is indemnify a more appropriate choice than repay?

Although the words indemnify and repay have much in common, indemnify implies making good a loss suffered through accident, disaster, warfare.

indemnified the families of the dead miners

When can pay be used instead of repay?

While in some cases nearly identical to repay, pay implies the discharge of an obligation incurred.

paid their bills

When would recompense be a good substitute for repay?

The synonyms recompense and repay are sometimes interchangeable, but recompense suggests due return in amends, friendly repayment, or reward.

passengers were recompensed for the delay

When is it sensible to use reimburse instead of repay?

The words reimburse and repay are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, reimburse implies a return of money that has been spent for another's benefit.

reimbursed employees for expenses

Where would remunerate be a reasonable alternative to repay?

While the synonyms remunerate and repay are close in meaning, remunerate clearly suggests paying for services rendered and may extend to payment that is generous or not contracted for.

promised to remunerate the searchers handsomely

When might satisfy be a better fit than repay?

The meanings of satisfy and repay largely overlap; however, satisfy implies paying a person what is required by law.

all creditors will be satisfied in full

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of repay In the other, Trump, who wants Ukraine to repay the U.S. for its previous contributions. — Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025 The bonds are to be repaid over 40 years by the city’s 2% hotel tax. — Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2025 When the loan becomes due — typically after the homeowner moves out or passes away — the property is used to repay the lender. — Mallika Mitra, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2025 Adams allegedly repaid his debts by pulling strings for his benefactors, including meddling in a Manhattan skyscraper’s fire safety regulations to placate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. — Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 26 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for repay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for repay
  1. reimburse
  2. pay
  3. reciprocate
  4. exchange
  5. satisfy
  6. compensate
  7. requite
Verb
  • Since 2020, the FCC has been reimbursing small telecom companies for the cost of removing equipment supplied by two Chinese manufacturers, Huawei Technologies Company and ZTE Corporation.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 13 Mar. 2025
  • The company reimburses the Manager for certain expenses related to these offices.
    — Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of reimburse
Verb
  • From fiscal year 2015 to 2022, the Social Security Agency paid about $72 billion in improper payments, most of which were overpayments, the report noted.
    — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2025
  • With money from the PAC, Hollander paid the candidates’ filing fees.
    — Jonathan Blitzer, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of pay
Verb
  • Leaders who focus on serving others might sometimes feel hesitant to be open, fearing they may be taken advantage of by employees who do not reciprocate the same level of commitment or work ethic.
    — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Cho reciprocated with the raw physicality of a man possessed — scrunching up his body, springing up from the piano seat to attack low-register notes.
    — Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
Definition of reciprocate
Verb
  • Former board chair Kim Silvers, who was owner and founder of Silvers HR, LLC, exchanged human resources services for on-air announcements of her business, according to documents obtained by The Sacramento Bee.
    — Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 10 Mar. 2025
  • Here is what may be next for Israel and Gaza Under the ceasefire deal, which came into effect on January 19, Hamas has so far exchanged 33 Israeli hostages for about 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees and has also freed five Thai hostages.
    — Nidal al-Mughrabi, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of exchange
Verb
  • This is a cop novel that fully satisfies its genre expectations — chases, gun battles, sinister bad guys, questionable cops, cowards and heroes.
    — Claude Peck, Boston Herald, 16 Mar. 2025
  • Either type of injury would satisfy the injury-in-fact requirement of the standing test.
    — Jim Saunders, Sun Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of satisfy
Verb
  • Low rates of unemployment tend to compensate for some of the pain that high levels of inflation bring because businesses generally can only raise prices when people are earning enough to afford it.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 20 Mar. 2025
  • Data provided in the NHL app ranges from space available to compensate replacements for players dealing with long-term injuries to tracking performance bonuses, which can allow a team to spend slightly over the cap.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Definition of compensate
Verb
  • Reflecting Lee’s turmoil as he’s tormented by heroin withdrawals and his not entirely requited affection for Allerton, the film is moody, and the sets reflect the interior landscapes of its characters.
    — Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 16 Dec. 2024
  • In the book, the main character falls in love with an android that only pretends to requite his feelings.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 22 Mar. 2023
Definition of requite

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Cite this Entry

“Repay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/repay. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.

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