Definition of REPAY

repay

Verb

Verb Forms: repaid, repaying, repays

  • To pay back a debt; to compensate for something.
  • pay back
  • make repayment for or return something
  • act or give recompense in recognition of someone's behavior or actions
  • answer back
  • Synonym of pay back in all senses.
  • To make worthwhile; to yield a result worth the effort; to pay off.
  • To give in return; requite.
  • To pay (cover with tar, pitch, etc.) again.

Examples

  • His risky play would either repay him with a high score or leave him in debt.
  • I finally repaid my student loans, just before sending my kids to college.
  • I'll repay this wrong asap.

Origin / Etymology

From Old French repaier (“to pay back”), from re- + paiier (“to pay”), from Latin pācāre (“to settle, to make peaceful”), from pāx (“peace”) + -ō (forming verbs). Equivalent to re- + pay. Cognate with repacify and French repayer (“to pay again”).

Synonyms

come back, give back, pay back, refund, rejoin, requite, retort, return, reward, riposte, pay back in all senses

Scrabble Score: 10

repay: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
repay: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
repay: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

repay: valid Words With Friends Word