reparations

[ rep-uh-rey-shuhnz ]

plural noun

1. compensation in money, material, labor, etc., payable by a defeated country to another country or to an individual for loss suffered during or as a result of war:

   The U.S. government eventually disbursed reparations to Japanese Americans who had been interned during World War II.

2. monetary or other compensation payable by a country to an individual for a historical wrong:

   The article is about reparations to Black people for the enslavement of their ancestors.

Word History and Origins

Origin of reparations¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; plural of reparation ( def ) (in the sense of “something done or given to make amends”)

Example Sentences

The discussion of reparations for descendants of slaves saw some chatter this year after a piece in The Atlantic.

From The Daily Beast

There was a time when reparations for slavery was a hot issue in race discussions in America.

From The Daily Beast

We rightly condemn the Allied leaders of the 1920s for squeezing Germany so hard on reparations.

From The Daily Beast

His newest obsession is proving that Barack Obama is implicated in a “stealth reparations movement”.

From The Daily Beast

We were born rich; we revel in the "reparations" that our fathers wrung from a conquered Nature.

From Project Gutenberg

He suggested to me that I should make reparations to my wife by allowing her to divorce me!

From Project Gutenberg

Linked up with it also is that deep and grave problem of reparations.

From Project Gutenberg

Three other churches the Primate has also built, and done considerable reparations to the cathedral.

From Project Gutenberg

Note: Now was our Communion table placed altarwise; the church steeple, clock, and other reparations finished.

From Project Gutenberg