disburse

[ dis-burs ]

verb (used with object)

, dis·bursed, dis·burs·ing.

1. to pay out (money), especially for expenses; expend.

   Synonyms: lay out

2. to distribute or scatter:

   Our troops were disbursed over a wide area. She disbursed the flowers to the children.

disburse

/ dɪsˈbɜːs /

verb

1. tr to pay out

Usage

Disburse is sometimes wrongly used where disperse is meant: the police used a water cannon to disperse (not disburse ) the crowd

Derived Forms

• disˈburser, noun
• disˈbursable, adjective
• disˈbursement, noun

Other Words From

• dis·bursa·ble adjective
• dis·burser noun
• nondis·bursa·ble adjective
• nondis·bursed adjective
• redis·burse verb (used with object) redisbursed redisbursing
• undis·bursed adjective
• well-dis·bursed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of disburse¹

First recorded in 1520–30; from Middle French desbourser, Old French desborser, equivalent to des- dis- ¹ + -borser, derivative of borse purse, from Late Latin bursa “bag”

Word History and Origins

Origin of disburse¹

C16: from Old French desborser, from des- dis- ¹+ borser to obtain money, from borse bag, from Late Latin bursa

Synonym Study

See spend.

Example Sentences

Bloemeke filed complaints accusing the SBA of shortchanging Golden Ticket Cinemas and then failing to disburse those funds.

From Los Angeles Times

Under the Stafford Act, which governs federal disaster response, the president has the power to disburse relief to specific parts of the country after any “major disaster” — hurricanes, big floods, fires.

From Salon

The county sent a cease-and-desist letter warning the foundation to stop using the county logo, then sued in February, arguing that the foundation was poised to disburse $3 million meant for firefighters.

From Los Angeles Times

The operation will disburse money for projects around the state.

From Los Angeles Times

“This was the program structure, to disburse upfront in order to quickly acquire the projects,” said a spokesperson for the department.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• contribute
• dispense
• distribute
• expend
• pony up

More About Disburse

What does disburse mean?

Disburse most commonly means to pay out money.

Disburse is typically used in the context of finance and business—especially when the exchange of money is formal.

The noun form of disburse is disbursement, meaning the act of paying out money, or the payment itself.

Disburse can also mean to distribute or scatter, but this sense is much less commonly used. (This sense sounds a lot like and means just about the same thing as disperse.)

Example: The staff is upset because payroll hasn’t disbursed paychecks yet due to a clerical error.

Where does disburse come from?

The first records of the word disburse come from around 1530. It comes from combining des (meaning “apart”) and bourse (meaning “purse”—a bag used to carry money). The same root is used in the more common term reimburse.

The modern financial use of disburse often refers to something quite specific—paying from a particular fund or account, often in the context of a business, charity, scholarship, or other formalized type of payment. To disburse is often to release money from one account to another. It’s typically only used in formal financial contexts, especially an institution making a payment to an individual. You wouldn’t use disburse when paying a friend back after splitting dinner—you’d just say pay or pay back or reimburse. If the thing being given out or provided is not financial or money-related (like food, for example), you’d probably use a word like distribute, not disburse.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to disburse?

• disbursement (noun)

What are some synonyms for disburse?

• expend
• outlay
• pay

What are some words that share a root or word element with disburse? 

• reimburse 
• purse
• bursar
• bursary

What are some words that often get used in discussing disburse?

• funds
• money
• payment
• account
• revenue 
• expense

What are some words disburse may be commonly confused with?

• disperse

How is disburse used in real life?

Disburse tends to be used in formal situations, such as scheduled payments or other financial transactions, especially those involving institutions.

The @SBAgov encourages all approved lenders to process loan applications previously submitted by eligible borrowers and disburse funds expeditiously.

— Jovita Carranza, SBA (@SBAJovita) April 24, 2020

"all the loans" isn't quite correct when the money has run out and a lot of small businesses had their applications ignored. the job here was not to just effectively disburse money, it is to help small businesses who need it. and *that* remains undone. https://t.co/24V0Jp2I2O

— Heidi N. Moore (@moorehn) April 17, 2020

@NC_Governor: The Department has also received updated guidance from the federal government on how to disburse the supplemental $600 a week benefit. Those payments are expected to begin by the end of next week. Time is critical and precious for those who are out of work.

— NCDHHS (@ncdhhs) April 9, 2020

 

 

Try using disburse!

Is disburse used correctly in the following sentence?

The contract says that they will disburse payments on the first of the month.