voucher

voucher — noun

1. a physical slip, a card, or a digital code that you can exchange for a product,

1.nounB1
Definition

a physical slip, a card, or a digital code that you can exchange for a product, a service, or a price reduction on what you buy

Example

Minho received a £20 book voucher for his birthday from his classmates.

voucher for [specific item type]

The hotel gave Sahil a voucher for a free breakfast at the restaurant.

Common collocations
  • gift voucher
  • book voucher
  • travel voucher
  • discount voucher
  • use a voucher
  • receive a voucher
  • download a voucher
Synonyms
  • coupon

    usually a code or slip that gives a discount on a specific product, often found in newspapers or apps; a voucher is more often pre-paid

  • gift card

    a plastic card with a stored value, used more often in American English; a voucher is more commonly paper or a code

  • token

    a voucher-like item used in exchange for something, common in British English (a book token)

Grammar Patterns

voucher + for + [goods/service]

voucher + to-infinitive

Usage Note

Often given by companies as a gift or reward. The type of voucher is usually named before the word (a book voucher, a travel voucher, a gift voucher).

Common Mistakes

I bought a voucher for £50 in the supermarket
I bought a £50 gift voucher at the supermarket.
The word order for the value should come before 'voucher', and 'gift voucher' is the standard term when the voucher itself is purchased as a present.
The voucher is expired.
The voucher has expired.
Use the present perfect with 'expire' to describe a voucher that is no longer valid.

2. a sum of money given by a US government program to help parents pay for their ch

2.nounB2
Definition

a sum of money given by a US government program to help parents pay for their child's education at a private school

Example

The state program gives low-income families a voucher to choose their child's school.

voucher + to-infinitive — purpose

Kwame's parents used a school voucher to send him to a private academy across town.

Common collocations
  • school voucher
  • education voucher
  • voucher program
  • voucher system
  • voucher debate
  • voucher recipient
  • voucher holder
Synonyms
  • scholarship

    money awarded based on merit or need, not tied to a specific government program; a voucher is a specific government-issued funding certificate

  • education grant

    a sum of money given for study, often broader than a voucher and not limited to private-school choice

Grammar Patterns

voucher + for + [school type]

voucher + program/system

Usage Note

This sense is almost exclusively used in the context of US education policy. It appears most often in the compounds 'school voucher' and 'voucher program/system'.

Common Mistakes

My parents got a school voucher to buy uniforms.
My parents got a school voucher to pay for tuition at a private school.
A school voucher covers tuition fees, not general school expenses.

3. a document, such as a receipt or a signed note, that records a business expense

3.nounC1
Definition

a document, such as a receipt or a signed note, that records a business expense or proves that money was spent

Example

Talia kept all the vouchers from her business trip to show her manager.

voucher as proof of spending

The accountant checked each expense voucher against the numbers in the company bank statement.

expense voucher — business context

Common collocations
  • expense voucher
  • travel voucher
  • claim voucher
  • original voucher
  • signed voucher
  • attach a voucher
  • file a voucher
Synonyms
  • receipt

    a proof of payment from a seller; a voucher can be an internal company document, not from the seller

  • invoice

    a request for payment from a seller; a voucher shows payment has been made or authorized

  • record

    a general term for any documentation; less precise than 'voucher' in accounting

Grammar Patterns

voucher + for + [expense]

expense + voucher

Usage Note

This sense is used in accounting and office settings. The voucher is usually a physical or digital record that supports a payment entry in the company's books. Often paired with 'expense' or 'travel' as a compound noun.

Common Mistakes

I lost the voucher of lunch.
I lost the lunch receipt.' OR 'I lost the expense voucher for the lunch meeting.
In business contexts, name the specific expense after 'voucher for'.

Word family

  • vouch
    verbB2
  • vouch for
    phrasal verbB2
  • vouching
    nounC1
  • vouchee
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Voucher, coupon, gift card, and token all refer to ways of paying or saving money on goods or services, but they differ in form and typical use. A voucher is usually pre-paid or issued as a reward and can be a paper slip or an electronic code that covers a specific product or service (a travel voucher for a flight). A coupon is almost always a discount code or printed slip — it reduces the price but rarely covers the full cost. Gift cards are plastic cards with a stored cash value and are more common in American English, whereas in British English vouchers are more typical. A token is similar to a voucher but is usually for a very specific item (a book token for a single book purchase). In practice: 'I used a 20% off coupon at the supermarket' (discount only), 'She got a £50 gift card for the clothing store' (cash value on card), 'He spent his book token on a novel' (restricted to books).

coupon ↗gift cardtoken ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • voucher scheme
  • voucher system
  • voucher program

Prepositions

  • voucher for

Etymology

LatinAnglo-FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'voucher' entered English in the 1500s from Anglo-French 'voucher', meaning 'to summon or call someone to court to guarantee a title'. It came from Latin 'vocare' (to call). Originally a legal term for calling a witness to confirm a property claim, it later broadened to mean any document that confirms or proves something — a meaning still present in the accounting sense. The modern use as a payment or discount slip developed in the 20th century.