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

Annual tuition for the online program is $11,000, and most of Rattigan’s virtual students use school-choice programs to defray that cost as well. —Kerry McDonald, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025

And in a way, those funds are actually defraying additional funds for direct costs that the federal government might have had to provide to do the same research. —Taylor Haney, NPR, 12 Feb. 2025

That bump defrayed worries over declining iPhone sales, which not only missed LSEG estimates by the largest margin in two years but were also lower compared with a year earlier because of weakness in the Greater China market. —Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 31 Jan. 2025

In addition to the buyouts, the resignation of Moog, a Chicago tech entrepreneur who was elevated from interim to permanent CEO of Chicago Public Media in 2021, may help defray costs going forward. —Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025

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

Rhymes for defray

• airway
• allay
• archway
• array
• ashtray
• astray
• aue
• away
• ballet
• belay
• beltway
• beret

Kids Definition

defray

verb

de·​fray di-ˈfrā 

: to pay or provide for the payment of

more money to defray expenses