repay

When you give someone money that you owe them, you repay them. A bank may loan you money to buy a new car, but you'll have to repay the money, plus interest.

You might repay a bank loan, or repay your brother the dollar you borrowed last week. You can also repay things other than money: "How will I ever repay your kindness and support?" Repay comes from the French repaier, with its "back" prefix re- and payer, "to pay."

Definitions of repay
  1. verb
    pay back
    synonyms: give back, refund, return
    see moresee less
    types:
    reimburse
    pay back for some expense incurred
    restitute, restore
    give or bring back
    type of:
    pay
    give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
  2. verb
    make repayment for or return something
    synonyms: requite
    see moresee less
    types:
    pay
    make a compensation for
    type of:
    give
    transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody
  3. verb
    act or give recompense in recognition of someone's behavior or actions
    synonyms: pay back, reward
    see moresee less
    type of:
    act, move
    perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
  4. verb
    answer back
    synonyms: come back, rejoin, retort, return, riposte
    see moresee less
    type of:
    answer, reply, respond
    react verbally