Word
refund
Phoneticsre·fund, stress on the first syllable
/ˈɹiˌfənd/
Definitions
01money returned
A2 · Elementary Countable noun
n. an amount of money that is given back to you.
n. a sum of money returned to a person, typically because they have returned goods or overpaid for a service.
“I took the broken toaster back to the shop and asked for a full refund.”
“The airline refused to issue a cash refund, offering instead a travel voucher valid for twelve months from the date of the original flight.”
Synonyms
02to give money back
B1 · Intermediate
v. to give someone their money back.
v. to repay a sum of money to a person, especially a customer who is dissatisfied with a purchase.
“The company agreed to refund the full cost of the tickets after the concert was cancelled.”
“The department will refund any overpaid taxes directly into your bank account within ten working days of the assessment.”
Usage
This verb is transitive and requires a direct object, usually the amount or the person being paid.
03to get money back
B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal
v. to get your money back for something you bought.
v. to obtain a refund for a purchase; used transitively with the item as the object.
“I need to refund this dress because it doesn't fit me properly.”
“She decided to refund the laptop after discovering a dead pixel in the centre of the screen.”
Usage
In this informal sense, the object is the item being returned rather than the money.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English refunden, refounden, from Old French refondre, refonder, refunder (“to restore; pay back”), from Latin refundere; prefix re- (“re-”) + fundere (“to pour”): compare French refondre, refonder. See fuse (“to melt”), and compare refound (“to cast again”), and refuse.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A2 KeyIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.3.0–4.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 2.0–2.524–43TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.225–549
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- A2 · Elementary
- Updated
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