Disburse: meaning, definitions and examples

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disburse

 

[ dɪsˈbɜːs ]

Verb
Context #1 | Verb

financial

To pay out money from a fund. To distribute money or resources.

Synonyms

allocate, distribute, pay out.

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Word Description / Examples
disburse

Used in formal settings, especially in financial or institutional contexts, to describe the process of giving out funds or resources from a specific source.

  • The treasurer is responsible for disbursing the funds to various departments
  • The grant money will be disbursed over three years
distribute

Often used in general contexts to describe the act of giving out items, information, or resources to a group of people or places.

  • The company will distribute free samples at the event
  • They distributed the flyers throughout the neighborhood
pay out

Used primarily in informal or everyday contexts to describe the act of giving money to someone, especially from a fund or for a specific purpose.

  • The insurance company will pay out the claim soon
  • He had to pay out a lot of money for his car repairs
allocate

Commonly used in administrative, business, or planning contexts to describe the distribution or assignment of resources, tasks, or responsibilities.

  • We need to allocate more funds to the marketing department
  • The project manager will allocate tasks among the team members

Examples of usage

  • The company will disburse bonuses to its employees next month.
  • The government disburses funds for various social programs.

Translations

Translations of the word "disburse" in other languages:

🇵🇹 desembolsar

🇮🇳 वितरित करना

🇩🇪 auszahlen

🇮🇩 membayar

🇺🇦 виплачувати

🇵🇱 wypłacać

🇯🇵 支払う

🇫🇷 débourser

🇪🇸 desembolsar

🇹🇷 dağıtmak

🇰🇷 지급하다

🇸🇦 صرف

🇨🇿 vyplatit

🇸🇰 vyplatiť

🇨🇳 支付

🇸🇮 izplačati

🇮🇸 greiða út

🇰🇿 төлеу

🇬🇪 გადახდა

🇦🇿 ödəmək

🇲🇽 desembolsar

Etymology

The word 'disburse' originated from the Old French word 'desbourser', which means 'to remove a burden'. It entered the English language in the late 16th century. The prefix 'dis-' indicates the reversal of a previous action, while 'burse' comes from the Latin 'bursa', meaning 'purse' or 'bag'. Therefore, 'disburse' originally referred to the act of emptying or removing something from a purse or bag, eventually evolving to its current financial meaning.

Word Frequency Rank

Positioned at #23,305, this word is part of extensive vocabulary. It's relatively rare in general usage but may be important in specific fields or formal writing.