disburse
C1Formal; Business; Financial; Administrative
Definition
Meaning
To pay out money, typically from a fund or budget.
To distribute or expend resources, especially money, for a specific purpose or to specific recipients.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word implies a formal or official payment process, often involving accountability and record-keeping. It is typically used with institutional or corporate subjects, not individuals making casual payments.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning. Spelling and usage are identical.
Connotations
Identical connotations of formal financial distribution.
Frequency
Equally formal and used in similar financial/administrative contexts in both regions.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Institution] disburse [Funds] to [Recipient][Institution] disburse [Funds] for [Purpose]Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None directly associated; it is a formal transactional term.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
The company will disburse the quarterly dividends to shareholders next week.
Academic
The research council disbursed grants to five new projects.
Everyday
Rare in casual conversation. Might be used in formal contexts like: 'The charity disbursed the donations to the affected families.'
Technical
The system automatically disburses payments upon invoice approval.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The council will disburse the housing grant next month.
- The trust is legally bound to disburse funds for educational purposes only.
American English
- The foundation disbursed the relief funds to the disaster zone.
- The bank will disburse the loan once the paperwork is complete.
adverb
British English
- Not applicable.
American English
- Not applicable.
adjective
British English
- Not applicable.
American English
- Not applicable.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- Not typically introduced at this level.
- The bank will disburse the money for your car.
- The government disburses funds for schools.
- The charity must disburse at least 80% of donations directly to aid projects.
- The committee approved the plan to disburse the research budget across three universities.
- The international aid agency faced delays in disbursing the promised millions due to bureaucratic hurdles.
- The new software automates the process of disbursing employee reimbursements, improving efficiency.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: DIS-tribute your pURSE (where you keep money). To DISBURSE is to distribute money from your purse or fund.
Conceptual Metaphor
MONEY IS A LIQUID (to disburse is to let it flow out from a source).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'distribute' (распределять) in all contexts. 'Disburse' is specifically for money/funds. The Russian verb 'выделять' (to allocate) or 'выплачивать' (to pay out) are closer.
Common Mistakes
- Using it for non-monetary things (e.g., 'disburse information').
- Using it with a personal subject (e.g., 'I disbursed £20 for lunch' sounds unnatural).
- Confusing spelling with 'disperse' (to scatter).
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'disburse' used correctly?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Disburse' means to pay out money. 'Disperse' means to scatter or spread widely (e.g., a crowd disperses, seeds disperse). They are often confused due to similar spelling.
Rarely and not in standard usage. Its primary and almost exclusive use is for monetary funds or financial resources.
Yes, it belongs to formal, administrative, legal, and business registers. In everyday speech, people use 'pay out', 'give out', or simply 'pay'.
The related noun is 'disbursement', meaning the act of paying out money or the sum of money paid out.
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