defray
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle French desfrayer, French défrayer, from dé- + Old French fraier (“to spend”).
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
defray (third-person singular simple present defrays, present participle defraying, simple past and past participle defrayed)
- (obsolete) To spend (money).
- To pay or discharge (a debt, expense etc.); to meet (the cost of something).
- 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.29:
- The expenses of the war, while in progress, were defrayed by executing rich men and confiscating their property.
- 2009, ‘A Viennese grind’, The Economist, 30 Jul 2009:
- Investors, meanwhile, got back a fraction of their money. Some say Mr Meinl’s €100m bail, paid by a source in Liechtenstein, should be used to defray their losses.
- 2010, Roy Greenslade, The Guardian, 9 Dec 2010:
- In order to help defray the substantial costs involved, they then raised revenue through taking advertisements.
- 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.29:
- (now rare) To pay for (something).
Translations[edit]
to pay or discharge (a debt, expense etc.); to meet (the cost of something)
