# refund

/ˈɹiˌfənd/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/refund
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. money returned

noun · CEFR A2

an amount of money that is given back to you.

For teachers: 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.

### 2. to give money back

verb · CEFR B1

to give someone their money back.

For teachers: 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.

### 3. to get money back

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to get your money back for something you bought.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- I asked for a full refund because the shoes were broken.
- The store policy allows customers to claim a refund within thirty days if they provide a valid receipt.
- The airline refused to issue a cash refund, offering instead a travel voucher that expired within six months of the original booking date.

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