defray

verb

de·​fray di-ˈfrā 

dē-

defrayed; defraying; defrays

transitive verb

1

: to provide for the payment of : pay

sold advertising on his website to help defray the cost of running it

2

archaic : to bear the expenses of (a person)

defrayable

di-ˈfrā-ə-bəl 

dē-

adjective

defrayal

di-ˈfrā(-ə)l 

dē-

noun

Examples of defray in a Sentence

This will defray the costs.

Recent Examples on the Web

The country also offered an exemption from the 10% sales tax to defray car costs, which is slated to phase out in 2027. —Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 24 Sep. 2024

This reluctance was on display when PG&E wanted to hike rates to defray $5.9 billion to bury 2,0o0 miles of power lines. —Nives Dolsak and Aseem Prakash, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024

In 2024: Photo Gallery & Obituaries JD Souther Dies: Singer-Songwriter Behind Hits By The Eagles And Linda Ronstadt Was 78 A GoFundMe page to defray medical costs for Gravenites was set up in April, in part by longtime friend and colleague Barry Melton of Country Joe and the Fish. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2024

That’s left many adult children supporting their parents and claiming them as dependents to save potentially thousands of dollars in taxes to help defray those costs. —Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French deffroyer, from des- de- + frayer to expend, from Old French, from frais, plural of fret, frait expenditure, literally, damage by breaking, from Latin fractum, neuter of fractus, past participle of frangere to break — more at break

First Known Use

1536, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

defray

verb

de·​fray di-ˈfrā 

: to pay or provide for the payment of

more money to defray expenses