• Defray

    Pronunciation

    • UK IPA: /dɪˈfɹeɪ/
    • Rhymes: -eɪ

    Origin

    From Middle French desfrayer, French défrayer, from dé- + Old French fraier ("to spend").

    Full definition of defray

    Verb

    1. (obsolete) To spend (money).
    2. 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.
    3. (now rare) To pay for (something).

    Anagrams

    © Wiktionary