refundable

IPA/ɹɪfˈʌndəbəl/
KK[rɪfˈʌndəbəl]IPA/rɪfˈʌndəbəl/

refundable — adjective

1. describing a purchase or payment that a business is willing to return to the cus

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing a purchase or payment that a business is willing to return to the customer under specific conditions

Example

The travel agency confirmed that all flight bookings made before June are fully refundable.

{"fully refundable"}

Every tenant must pay a refundable security deposit before moving into the furnished apartment.

{"refundable security deposit"}

Common collocations
  • fully refundable
  • partially refundable
  • refundable deposit
  • refundable ticket
Synonyms
  • reimbursable

    more formal and often used in professional or corporate expense contexts

  • returnable

    generally refers to the physical goods themselves rather than the money paid

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

something is refundable

a refundable deposit

Usage Note

Used primarily in commercial, legal, or financial contexts. It describes the attribute of the money or the purchase, not the act of returning it.

Common Mistakes

Confusing 'refundable' with 'returnable' (a store item is returnable, the money you get back is refundable).

Using 'refundable' to describe a person who returns money.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Refundable describes money paid for a purchase that can be returned; reimbursable specifically implies the repayment of costs already incurred by an employee; compensable refers to damages or work that legally deserves financial payment.

refundable ↗reimbursablecompensable

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • eligible for a refund

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word is formed from the verb 'refund', which comes from the Latin 'refundere' (to pour back). Adding the suffix '-able' changes the verb into an adjective describing something that has the quality of being able to be poured back to the original owner.