refund

refund — noun

1. money that a seller returns to a customer who is not satisfied with what was bou

1.nounB1
Definition

money that a seller returns to a customer who is not satisfied with what was bought, or when an item cannot be used as planned.

Example

Putri found a tear in the new dress and asked the shop for a refund.

collocation: ask for a refund

The airline gave Otis a full refund when his flight was cancelled.

collocation: full refund after cancellation

Common collocations
  • ask for a refund
  • get a refund
  • full refund
  • partial refund
  • refund policy
  • tax refund
  • refund on
Synonyms
  • rebate

    a partial return of the price, often given after purchase through a claim process rather than at the point of return

  • reimbursement

    money paid back for expenses already spent, such as travel or medical costs; more formal than refund

  • repayment

    return of money lent or owed, not necessarily for a faulty product

Antonyms
  • payment

    money given to buy something, the opposite direction of a refund

  • charge

    an amount demanded as payment

Grammar Patterns

get a refund

ask for a refund

a full refund

refund on/of + [item]

Usage Note

Frequently used with 'full' to indicate the entire purchase price is returned, or 'partial' when only a portion is given back.

Common Mistakes

I asked for a return.
I asked for a refund.
'return' is the act of giving the item back; 'refund' is the money you get back.

2. the act of giving money back to a person who has paid, after a purchase is cance

2.nounB1
Definition

the act of giving money back to a person who has paid, after a purchase is cancelled or a product is sent back to the seller.

Example

The refund was processed within three days after the customer returned the laptop.

passive: refund was processed

Rohan completed the refund process by mailing the item back with the original packaging.

refund process + mailing item back

Common collocations
  • refund process
  • upon refund
  • refund request
  • refund procedure
Synonyms
  • reimbursement

    the act of paying back someone for money they spent, often for work-related or medical expenses; more formal than refund

  • repayment

    the act of paying back money that was borrowed or owed

Antonyms
  • payment

    the act of giving money for goods or services, the opposite of a refund process

Grammar Patterns

upon refund

refund of + [cost]

refund process

Usage Note

This sense describes the action or system of returning money rather than the money itself. Distinguish from sense 1 (MONEY BACK), where 'refund' names a specific sum of money received.

refund — verb

Word family

  • refundable
    adjectiveB2
  • non-refundable
    adjectiveB2
  • refunded
    adjectiveB2
  • refunding
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe money given back, but they differ in context and reason. A 'refund' is money returned because a product or service was unsatisfactory, damaged, or not provided — it is the most common word for consumer returns. A 'rebate' is a partial return of the purchase price, often offered by a manufacturer and claimed after the sale through a form or coupon; you pay the full price first and get some money back later. 'Reimbursement' covers money paid back for expenses already spent on behalf of someone else, such as travel costs for a business trip or medical bills from insurance — it has a formal, institutional feel. 'Repayment' is the broadest term: returning money that was borrowed or owed, regardless of satisfaction. For example, if your new phone stops working and you return it, you get a 'refund'; if you buy a laptop with a mail-in offer, you get a 'rebate'; if your employer pays for your train ticket after a business trip, that is 'reimbursement'; if you pay back a friend who lent you cash, that is 'repayment'.

refund ↗rebate ↗reimbursement ↗repayment

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • no refunds
  • get a refund
  • request a refund
  • claim a refund
  • offer a refund
  • issue a refund
  • refund policy
  • refund process

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'refund' comes from Latin 'refundere', formed from 're-' (meaning 'back') and 'fundere' (meaning 'to pour'). In Latin it literally meant 'to pour back', like pouring liquid back into its container. The meaning shifted in the 15th century to 'give back money', probably through the image of pouring coins back into someone's purse. The modern financial sense became the dominant meaning by the 17th century.