reimbursement

reimbursement — noun

1. money that is returned to a person or organisation after they have used their ow

1.nounB2
Definition

money that is returned to a person or organisation after they have used their own funds to pay for something that another party was responsible for, such as work-related expenses or insured losses

Example

Mizuki submitted all her taxi receipts and received full reimbursement within two weeks.

collocation: full reimbursement / receive reimbursement

The clinic handles insurance reimbursement claims directly with the patient's provider.

noun modifier: insurance reimbursement

Common collocations
  • claim reimbursement
  • receive reimbursement
  • seek reimbursement
  • full reimbursement
  • partial reimbursement
  • reimbursement for expenses
  • reimbursement of costs
  • expense reimbursement
  • travel reimbursement
  • tuition reimbursement
  • reimbursement request
  • reimbursement policy
  • reimbursement form
Synonyms
  • refund

    used mainly for returning a product or cancelling a service; narrower than reimbursement

  • repayment

    general term for giving back money; less specific to pre-approved expenses

  • compensation

    broader term covering losses, injuries, or damages, not just out-of-pocket costs

Antonyms
  • expense

    the outgoing cost that reimbursement covers

  • charge

    a fee or cost paid, especially a one-time payment

Usage Note

Reimbursement is usually paid only after the person has submitted proof of payment, such as a receipt. It differs from a refund, which applies to returned goods, and from compensation, which covers losses beyond direct expenses.

Common Mistakes

I need reimbursement for my lunch yesterday.
I need reimbursement for the client lunch I paid for yesterday.
reimbursement applies to authorised or agreed-upon expenses, not personal costs.
She received a reimbursement for the damaged phone.
She received compensation for the damaged phone.
reimbursement covers money the person has already spent; compensation covers loss or damage more broadly.

Word family

  • reimburse
    verbB2
  • reimbursable
    adjectiveC1
  • non-reimbursable
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words involve receiving money back, but the reason differs. Reimbursement covers money a person has already spent on someone else's behalf — most often work expenses or insured medical costs. A refund is given when a product is returned or a service cancelled; the buyer never intended to keep what they paid for. Repayment is broader: any money given back, including loans, that could be for any reason. Compensation goes further — it covers losses, injury, or damage, not just out-of-pocket costs. For example, an employee gets reimbursement for a business flight, a shopper gets a refund for a faulty item, a borrower makes a repayment on a loan, and a worker receives compensation after a workplace injury.

reimbursement ↗refund ↗repaymentcompensation ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • on receipt of...
  • in reimbursement for...
  • subject to reimbursement

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinItalianFrenchEnglish

From Latin re- ('back, again') + imburse, from Italian imborsare ('put in a purse'), from borsa ('purse'). The word entered English in the early 1600s with the literal sense 'to put money back into someone's purse.'