defray
Syllables: de·frayUK/dɪˈfɹeɪ/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
Australia/dɪˈfɹæɪ/
defray verb: to pay or discharge (a debt, expense etc.); to meet (the cost of something).
Verb
defray (third-person singular simple present defrays, present participle defraying, simple past and past participle defrayed)
- To pay or discharge (a debt, expense etc.); to meet (the cost of something).
- The expenses of the war, while in progress, were defrayed by executing rich men and confiscating their property.1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.29
- 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.2009 July 30, ‘A Viennese grind’, The Economist
- To pay for (something).
- To spend (money).
defray meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Malayalam and Kannada
defray in Tamil
- கொடுத்துத் தீர்
defray in Urdu
- معاوضہ دینا
defray in Malayalam
- ചെലവു വഹിക്കുക, ചെലവിനു കൊടുക്കുക, ചെലവാക്കുക, ശമിപ്പിക്കുക
defray in Kannada
- ಬೆಲೆತೆರು, ಖರ್ಚು ವಹಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳು, ಹಣನೀಡು, ಪಾವತಿಮಾಡು, ಕೂಡು, ವಹಿಸು
Synonyms of defray
Forms of defray
| third-person singular present | defrays |
|---|---|
| present participle | defraying |
| past participle | defrayed |
| past | defrayed |
Origin of defray
From Middle French desfrayer, French défrayer, from dé- + Old French fraier (“to spend”).
Words formed from defray
Words that rhyme with defray
Questions about defray
- What does defray mean?
- Defray means to pay or discharge (a debt, expense etc.); to meet (the cost of something).
- What is defray in Tamil?
- Defray in Tamil is கொடுத்துத் தீர். See Defray meaning in Tamil.
- What part of speech is defray?
- Defray is a verb.
- How do you pronounce defray?
- Defray is pronounced /dɪˈfɹeɪ/ (UK).
- What is the past tense of defray?
- The past tense of defray is defrayed.
Words near defray in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: defray (page history and authors); defray (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); defray (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); defray (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); defray (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-defray.ogg.
Cite this entry: “defray.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/defray. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.