ENGLISH
REFERENCE

reimbursement

n. C / U
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˌɹiɪmˈbɝsmənt// UK //ɹˌiːɪmbˈɜːsmənt// re·im·burse·ment

n. the act of paying someone back for money they have already spent. You usually get this from your company after you pay for things like travel or meals for work.

n. the repayment of funds previously expended by an individual on behalf of an organization or for a specific purpose. Often involves a formal process of submitting receipts for verification.


SIMPLE

I am waiting for my travel reimbursement from the office.

CONTEXTUAL

The company policy requires employees to submit all receipts within thirty days to qualify for full reimbursement.

COMPLEX

The finance department streamlined the reimbursement process to ensure that consultants are compensated for out-of-pocket expenses within one business week.

Origin

From reimburse + -ment.

Usage

Uncountable when referring to the general act of paying back; countable when referring to specific payments or instances.

Pitfall

I asked for a refund for my business trip.I asked for a reimbursement for my business trip.A 'refund' is money returned by a seller to a customer; 'reimbursement' is money returned by an employer to an employee for expenses.

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