repay

American  

[ri-pey] / rɪˈpeɪ /

verb (used with object)

repaid, repaying

1. to pay back or refund, as money.

   Synonyms:

   indemnify, reimburse

2. to make return for.

   She repaid the compliment with a smile.

3. to make return to in any way.

   We can never repay you for your help.

   Synonyms:

   reward, requite

4. to return.

   to repay a visit.

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verb (used without object)

repaid, repaying

1. to make repayment or return.

repay British  

/ rɪˈpeɪ /

verb

1. to pay back (money) to (a person); refund or reimburse

2. to make a return for (something) by way of compensation

   to repay kindness

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Other Word Forms

• nonrepayable adjective
• nonrepaying adjective
• repayability noun
• repayable adjective
• repayment noun
• unrepaid adjective
• unrepayable adjective
• well-repaid adjective

Etymology

Origin of repay

From the Middle French word repaier, dating back to 1520–30. See re-, pay ¹

Example Sentences

“While these are precisely the students who will now be protected from excessive federal loans they could not repay, further steps should be considered to facilitate their access to advanced degrees.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Still, traditional underwriting criteria isn’t exactly a good predictor of whether a college or graduate student will be able to repay their loans.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

For more than a decade, she covered consumer lending broadly, with a focus on how lenders underwrote loans and borrowers' ability to repay them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

The dispute comes as the government agreed to repay costs incurred by the local council for the same visit.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Roz asked if there was some way she could repay Coral for saving her life, but the whale was just happy to help.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Related Words

• compensate
• offset
• pay back
• refund
• reimburse
• restore
• reward