Standard Lemma guide

reimbursement

noun · 2 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.

  • /ˌɹiː.ɪmˈbɜːs.mənt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: R IY2 IH0 M B ER1 S M AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of compensating someone for an expense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: accounting, business, finance, management

Examples

  • expense reimbursement
  • medical reimbursement
  • seek reimbursement
  • Employees can claim reimbursement for travel expenses.
  • The patient received full reimbursement for the cost of treatment.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

compensation paid (to someone) for damages or losses or money already spent etc.

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he received reimbursement for his travel expenses

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: compensation

Narrower terms: allowance, breakage, costs

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English reimburse Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom Proto-Italic *-mentom Latin -mentum Old French -mentbor. Middle English -ment English -ment English reimbursement From reimburse + -ment.

Across languages

Translations

23 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: връщане (vrǎštane) — compensating someone for an expense
  • Bulgarian: възстановяване (vǎzstanovjavane) — compensating someone for an expense
  • Bulgarian: обезщетение (obezštetenie) — compensating someone for an expense
  • Bulgarian: реимбурсиране (reimbursirane) — compensating someone for an expense
  • Catalan: reemborsament — compensating someone for an expense
  • Chinese Mandarin: 報銷 /报销 (bàoxiāo) — compensating someone for an expense
  • Dutch: terugbetaling — compensating someone for an expense
  • Estonian: hüvitus — compensating someone for an expense
  • Finnish: korvaus — compensating someone for an expense
  • Finnish: takaisinmaksu — compensating someone for an expense
  • French: remboursement — compensating someone for an expense
  • German: Erstattung — compensating someone for an expense
  • Hebrew: החזר כספי — compensating someone for an expense
  • Italian: rimborso — compensating someone for an expense
  • Korean: 변제 (byeonje) — compensating someone for an expense
  • Polish: zwrot — compensating someone for an expense
  • Polish: refundacja — compensating someone for an expense
  • Portuguese: reembolso — compensating someone for an expense
  • Romanian: rambursare — compensating someone for an expense
  • Russian: возмеще́ние (vozmeščénije) — compensating someone for an expense
  • Spanish: reembolso — compensating someone for an expense
  • Swedish: ersättning — compensating someone for an expense
  • Turkish: zararı ödeme — compensating someone for an expense