reimburse
C1Formal/Neutral. Most common in business, legal, administrative, and insurance contexts. Less common in casual conversation where 'pay back' or 'refund' might be used.
Definition
Meaning
to pay someone back the money they have spent or lost.
To restore or compensate for a loss, expense, or effort expended. In legal and business contexts, it implies a formal, often contractual, obligation to refund.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The object of the verb is the *person* or *entity* being paid back, not the money. The money or expense is introduced with a prepositional phrase (e.g., for the costs, for your travel). It implies a prior outlay by the recipient.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in core meaning or syntactic patterns. Spelling of related words differs: BrE 'reimbursement', AmE also 'reimbursement' (both standard).
Connotations
Equally formal and professional in both dialects.
Frequency
Comparably frequent in professional contexts in both regions.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[subject] reimburses [recipient] for [expense][subject] reimburses [expense] to [recipient] (less common, more formal)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None specific to the verb itself. Related noun phrase: 'out-of-pocket expenses' (those to be reimbursed).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Standard: 'The company will reimburse you for all approved business travel costs.'
Academic
Used in research administration: 'The grant reimburses fieldwork expenses upon submission of receipts.'
Everyday
Less common, but possible: 'I'll buy the tickets if you reimburse me later.'
Technical
Core in insurance and contract law: 'The insurer is obligated to reimburse the policyholder for covered losses.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- Please keep your receipt so we can reimburse you.
- The council is obliged to reimburse residents for the overpaid tax.
- Can you reimburse me for the train fare?
American English
- Your health plan will reimburse you for the doctor's visit.
- Submit the form to get reimbursed for your mileage.
- We'll reimburse any reasonable expense.
adverb
British English
- N/A (Not standard). The related form 'reimbursingly' is virtually never used.
American English
- N/A (Not standard). The related form 'reimbursingly' is virtually never used.
adjective
British English
- All reimbursable expenses must be documented.
- The policy has a list of non-reimbursable items.
American English
- Make sure the cost is reimbursable under our policy.
- She submitted her reimbursable travel receipts.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- My mum will reimburse me for the bread I bought.
- If you pay for the hotel now, work will reimburse you later.
- The shop reimbursed me because the product was faulty.
- Employees must submit a claim form in order to be reimbursed for professional development courses.
- The guarantee states that the manufacturer will reimburse any repair costs incurred during the first year.
- The legal principle of unjust enrichment often requires the beneficiary to reimburse the claimant for expenses incurred.
- The grant was awarded on the condition that the university would reimburse unused funds at the project's conclusion.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: RE- (again) + IM- (in) + BURSE (purse, like money). Putting money BACK INTO someone's purse.
Conceptual Metaphor
FINANCIAL TRANSACTION IS A JOURNEY (returning money to its point of origin); RESTORATION OF BALANCE (making someone whole again financially).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid calquing with "компенсировать" for all contexts; 'reimburse' is strictly for money spent/lost, while 'compensate' is broader (time, effort, injury).
- Do not confuse with "возвращать" in the sense of physically giving an object back; 'reimburse' is purely monetary.
- The structure is different: English 'reimburse someone FOR something', not *'reimburse something to someone' as a primary pattern.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect: *'They will reimburse the money to me.' (Awkward/less common). Correct: 'They will reimburse me for the money.' or 'They will reimburse the money.' (if context clear).
- Incorrect: *'I need to reimburse my loan.' (Confusion with 'repay a loan'). Correct: 'I need to repay my loan.'
- Incorrect: Using it for non-monetary compensation: *'The company reimbursed me with extra time off.'
Practice
Quiz
Which sentence uses 'reimburse' correctly?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Reimburse' focuses on paying back someone for money *they* have already spent. 'Refund' typically means giving money back to a customer who returns a product or cancels a service. 'Repay' is more general, often used for loans or favours, not necessarily tied to a specific expense.
It is grammatically possible but less common and more formal than the standard 'reimburse someone for something'. It can sound stilted in everyday use.
No, it is strictly financial. For time, effort, or loss, use 'compensate'.
The direct object is always the *person or entity receiving the money* (e.g., 'reimburse the employee'), not the money itself. The expense is introduced with 'for'.