Standard Lemma guide

refund

noun · verb · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɹɪˈfʌnd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rē'fŭnd'
  • /ˈɹiːfʌnd/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʌnd
  • rĭfŭnd'
  • CMU ARPABET: R IH0 F AH1 N D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: R IY1 F AH2 N D Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An amount of money returned.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • If the camera is faulty, you can return it to the store where you bought it for a full refund.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To return (money) to (someone); to reimburse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • If you find this computer for sale anywhere at a lower price, we’ll refund you the difference.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To obtain a refund.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: colloquial, transitive

Examples

  • This game sucks, Imma refund it.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To supply (someone) again with funds.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, transitive

Examples

  • to refund a railroad loan

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To pour back (something).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, rare, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

the act of returning money received previously

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: repayment

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: payment, defrayal, defrayment

7

noun

Meaning 7

money returned to a payer

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: payment

Narrower terms: rebate, discount

8

verb

Meaning 8

pay back

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Please refund me my money

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: return, repay, give back

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: pay

Narrower terms: reimburse, restore, restitute

History

Etymology

From Middle English refunden, refounden, from Old French refondre, refonder, refunder (“to restore; pay back”), from Latin refundere; prefix re- (“re-”) + fundere (“to pour”): compare French refondre, refonder. See fuse (“to melt”), and compare refound (“to cast again”), and refuse.

Across languages

Translations

99 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: إِعَادَة مَال (ʔiʕādat māl) — amount of money returned
  • Armenian: հատուցում (hatucʻum) — amount of money returned
  • Armenian: փոխհատուցում (pʻoxhatucʻum) — amount of money returned
  • Armenian: ծախսահատուցում (caxsahatucʻum) — amount of money returned
  • Bulgarian: компенса́ция (kompensácija) — amount of money returned
  • Chinese Mandarin: 退款 (tuìkuǎn) — amount of money returned
  • Dutch: teruggave — amount of money returned
  • Esperanto: repago — amount of money returned
  • Finnish: hyvitys — amount of money returned
  • Finnish: takaisinmaksu — amount of money returned
  • Finnish: palautus — amount of money returned
  • Finnish: maksupalautus — amount of money returned
  • French: remboursement — amount of money returned
  • German: Erstattung — amount of money returned
  • German: Rückerstattung — amount of money returned
  • German: Rückzahlung — amount of money returned
  • Greek: επιστροφή χρημάτων (epistrofí chrimáton) — amount of money returned
  • Hebrew: הֶחְזֵר (hekhzér) — amount of money returned
  • Hungarian: visszatérítés — amount of money returned
  • Hungarian: pénzvisszatérítés — amount of money returned
  • Hungarian: pénzvisszafizetés — amount of money returned
  • Hungarian: visszaadott pénz — amount of money returned
  • Indonesian: pengembalian uang — amount of money returned
  • Indonesian: pengembalian dana — amount of money returned
  • Indonesian: pengembalian — amount of money returned
  • Indonesian: restitusi — amount of money returned
  • Irish: aisíoc — amount of money returned
  • Italian: rimborso — amount of money returned
  • Japanese: 払い戻し (haraimodoshi) — amount of money returned
  • Japanese: 返金 (henkin) — amount of money returned
  • Khmer: ប្រាក់សងវិញ (braksângôvĭnh) — amount of money returned
  • Korean: 환불금 (hwanbulgeum) — amount of money returned
  • Korean: 환불 (hwanbul) — amount of money returned
  • Māori: whakahokinga moni — amount of money returned
  • Polish: zwrot (pieniędzy) — amount of money returned
  • Portuguese: reembolso — amount of money returned
  • Romanian: rambursare — amount of money returned
  • Russian: компенса́ция (kompensácija) — amount of money returned
  • Russian: возмеще́ние (vozmeščénije) — amount of money returned
  • Russian: возвра́т (vozvrát) — amount of money returned
  • Russian: возвращённая су́мма (vozvraščónnaja súmma) — amount of money returned
  • Scottish Gaelic: ath-dhìoladh — amount of money returned
  • Spanish: reembolso — amount of money returned
  • Spanish: reintegro — amount of money returned
  • Spanish: devolución — amount of money returned
  • Swedish: återbetalning — amount of money returned
  • Swedish: återbäring — amount of money returned
  • Turkish: geri ödemek — amount of money returned
  • Ottoman Turkish: اعاده (iʼade) — amount of money returned
  • Vietnamese: tiền thối — amount of money returned
  • Welsh: ad-daliad — amount of money returned
  • Armenian: հատուցել (hatucʻel) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Armenian: փոխհատուցել (pʻoxhatucʻel) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Armenian: ծախսահատուցել (caxsahatucʻel) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Bulgarian: връщам (vrǎštam) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Bulgarian: възстановявам (vǎzstanovjavam) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 退款 (tuìkuǎn) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 退錢 /退钱 (tuìqián) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Chinese Mandarin: 償還 /偿还 (chánghuán) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Danish: refundere — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Esperanto: repagi — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Finnish: hyvittää — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Finnish: palauttaa — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Finnish: maksaa takaisin — to return (money) to (someone)
  • French: rembourser — to return (money) to (someone)
  • German: erstatten — to return (money) to (someone)
  • German: zurückerstatten — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Greek: επιστρέφω χρήματα (epistréfo chrímata) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Hebrew: החזיר (hekhzír) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Hebrew: נתן החזר (natán hekhzér) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Hungarian: megtérít — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Hungarian: visszatérít — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Hungarian: visszafizet — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Irish: aisíoc — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Italian: rimborsare — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Italian: rifondere — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Italian: ripagare — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Italian: restituire — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Japanese: 払い戻す (haraimodosu) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Japanese: 返金する (henkin suru) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Khmer: សងប្រាក់វិញ (sɑɑngprakvɨñ) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Korean: 환불하다 (hwanbulhada) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Manx: aayioold — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Manx: aayeeil — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Māori: whakahoki moni — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Polish: refundować — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Polish: zrefundować — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Portuguese: reembolsar — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Romanian: rambursa — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Romanian: compensa — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Russian: компенси́ровать (kompensírovatʹ) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Russian: возмеща́ть (vozmeščátʹ) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Scottish Gaelic: ath-dhìol — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Spanish: reembolsar — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Spanish: devolver — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Spanish: reintegrar — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Tibetan: ཕྱིར་སློག་བྱས་ (phyir slog byas) — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Vietnamese: bồi hoàn — to return (money) to (someone)
  • Welsh: ad-dalu — to return (money) to (someone)