disburse

verb

dis·​burse dis-ˈbərs 

disbursed; disbursing

transitive verb

1

a

: to pay out : expend especially from a fund

disburse money

b

: to make a payment in settlement of

disburse a bill

2

: distribute

disburser noun

Synonyms

• drop
• expend
• fork (over, out, or up)
• give
• lay out
• outlay
• pay
• shell out
• spend

Examples of disburse in a Sentence

The money will be disbursed on the basis of need.

The government has disbursed millions of dollars in foreign aid.

Recent Examples on the Web

How changes at the Education Department factor in The U.S. Department of Education, which is responsible for underwriting student loans and disbursing college aid, is in the middle of a massive upheaval, after the Trump administration slashed nearly half of its staff. —Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2025

Given the shutdown would begin on a Saturday, many would not really feel the impacts of a shutdown until Monday -- or even later, when the next payroll is disbursed. —Lauren Peller, ABC News, 13 Mar. 2025

Yet to be confirmed is how much of the $900,000 was disbursed to the grantee and spent on the purposes for which it was intended or returned to the city. —David Plymyer, Baltimore Sun, 8 Mar. 2025

Ali initially set a Feb. 26 deadline for the administration to disburse payments. —Avery Lotz, Axios, 5 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French desbourser, from Old French desborser, from des- dis- + borse purse, from Medieval Latin bursa

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for disburse

• adverse
• averse
• coerce
• disperse
• diverse
• immerse
• inverse
• obverse
• perverse
• rehearse
• reverse
• transverse

Kids Definition

disburse

verb

dis·​burse dis-ˈbərs 

disbursed; disbursing

: to pay out : expend

disburse money

disburser noun

Etymology

from early French desbourser "to pay out money," from des- "out, away" and borse "a purse," from Latin bursa "a small leather bag" — related to purse, reimburse