"repay" meaning in English

See repay in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /ɹiˈpeɪ/ Audio: en-us-repay.ogg Forms: repays [present, singular, third-person], repaying [participle, present], repaid [participle, past], repaid [past]
Rhymes: -eɪ Etymology: From Old French repaier (“to pay back”), from re- + paiier (“to pay”), from Latin pācāre (“to settle, to make peaceful”), from pāx (“peace”) + -ō (forming verbs). Equivalent to re- + pay. Cognate with repacify and French repayer (“to pay again”). Etymology templates: {{uder|en|fro|repaier||to pay back}} Old French repaier (“to pay back”), {{der|en|la|paco|pācāre|to settle, to make peaceful}} Latin pācāre (“to settle, to make peaceful”), {{prefix|en|re|pay}} re- + pay, {{cog|fr|repayer||to pay again}} French repayer (“to pay again”) Head templates: {{en-verb|repays|repaying|repaid}} repay (third-person singular simple present repays, present participle repaying, simple past and past participle repaid)
  1. Synonym of pay back in all senses. Synonyms: pay back in all senses [synonym, synonym-of]
    Sense id: en-repay-en-verb-Z2tAF8Ub Categories (other): English terms prefixed with re- Disambiguation of English terms prefixed with re-: 42 28 30
  2. (transitive) To make worthwhile; to yield a result worth the effort; to pay off. Tags: transitive
    Sense id: en-repay-en-verb-2BdO-eCa
  3. (transitive) To give in return; requite. Tags: transitive
    Sense id: en-repay-en-verb-bH~ucVsN Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English undefined derivations, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 32 10 53 5 Disambiguation of English undefined derivations: 33 20 47 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 33 7 56 5 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 34 5 58 3
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: repayment
Etymology number: 1

Verb

IPA: /ɹiˈpeɪ/ Audio: en-us-repay.ogg Forms: repays [present, singular, third-person], repaying [participle, present], repayed [participle, past], repayed [past], repaid [participle, past], repaid [past]
Rhymes: -eɪ Head templates: {{en-verb|past2=repaid}} repay (third-person singular simple present repays, present participle repaying, simple past and past participle repayed or repaid)
  1. (nautical) To pay (cover with tar, pitch, etc.) again. Categories (topical): Nautical
    Sense id: en-repay-en-verb-AH6Prjtv Topics: nautical, transport
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2

Inflected forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "repayment"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "repaier",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to pay back"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French repaier (“to pay back”)",
      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "paco",
        "4": "pācāre",
        "5": "to settle, to make peaceful"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin pācāre (“to settle, to make peaceful”)",
      "name": "der"
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        "2": "re",
        "3": "pay"
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      "expansion": "re- + pay",
      "name": "prefix"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "fr",
        "2": "repayer",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to pay again"
      },
      "expansion": "French repayer (“to pay again”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Old French repaier (“to pay back”), from re- + paiier (“to pay”), from Latin pācāre (“to settle, to make peaceful”), from pāx (“peace”) + -ō (forming verbs). Equivalent to re- + pay. Cognate with repacify and French repayer (“to pay again”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "repays",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
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    },
    {
      "form": "repaying",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
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    },
    {
      "form": "repaid",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
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    },
    {
      "form": "repaid",
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        "past"
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  "head_templates": [
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        "1": "repays",
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      "name": "en-verb"
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
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          "_dis": "42 28 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms prefixed with re-",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "I finally repaid my student loans, just before sending my kids to college.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1707, Isaac Watts, “Godly Sorrow ariſing from the Sufferings of Chriſt”, in Hymns and Spiritual Songs, London: J. Humfreys, page 86:",
          "text": "But drops of Grief can ne’re repay / The debt of Love I owe, […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1962 April, “Talking of Trains: Short-sighted approach to profits?”, in Modern Railways, page 219:",
          "text": "On the results of the Kent Coast electrification, which is known to be repaying so far a satisfactory return on the investment in it, a Waterloo-Bournemouth scheme shows reasonable financial promise.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of pay back in all senses."
      ],
      "id": "en-repay-en-verb-Z2tAF8Ub",
      "links": [
        [
          "pay back",
          "pay back#English"
        ],
        [
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          "all"
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          "tags": [
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          "word": "pay back in all senses"
        }
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    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2013, M. Pavone-MacAluso, Testicular Cancer and Other Tumors of the Genitourinary Tract, page 517:",
          "text": "The possible importance of excessive androgen secretion and the ingestion of agents such as the fluorenamines may repay further investigation.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To make worthwhile; to yield a result worth the effort; to pay off."
      ],
      "id": "en-repay-en-verb-2BdO-eCa",
      "links": [
        [
          "pay off",
          "pay off"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To make worthwhile; to yield a result worth the effort; to pay off."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "32 10 53 5",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 20 47",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English undefined derivations",
          "parents": [
            "Undefined derivations",
            "Entry maintenance"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
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          "_dis": "33 7 56 5",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "34 5 58 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To give in return; requite."
      ],
      "id": "en-repay-en-verb-bH~ucVsN",
      "links": [
        [
          "requite",
          "requite"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To give in return; requite."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɹiˈpeɪ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-repay.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/88/En-us-repay.ogg/En-us-repay.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/En-us-repay.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪ"
    }
  ],
  "word": "repay"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "repays",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "repaying",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "repayed",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
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    {
      "form": "repayed",
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    {
      "form": "repaid",
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    {
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    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Nautical",
          "orig": "en:Nautical",
          "parents": [
            "Transport",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To pay (cover with tar, pitch, etc.) again."
      ],
      "id": "en-repay-en-verb-AH6Prjtv",
      "links": [
        [
          "nautical",
          "nautical"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(nautical) To pay (cover with tar, pitch, etc.) again."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "nautical",
        "transport"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ɹiˈpeɪ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-repay.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/88/En-us-repay.ogg/En-us-repay.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/En-us-repay.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪ"
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{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English irregular verbs",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Old French",
    "English terms prefixed with re-",
    "English undefined derivations",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Rhymes:English/eɪ",
    "Rhymes:English/eɪ/2 syllables"
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  "derived": [
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      "word": "repayment"
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  "etymology_number": 1,
  "etymology_templates": [
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        "2": "fro",
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        "4": "",
        "5": "to pay back"
      },
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      "name": "uder"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "paco",
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        "5": "to settle, to make peaceful"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin pācāre (“to settle, to make peaceful”)",
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        "3": "",
        "4": "to pay again"
      },
      "expansion": "French repayer (“to pay again”)",
      "name": "cog"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Old French repaier (“to pay back”), from re- + paiier (“to pay”), from Latin pācāre (“to settle, to make peaceful”), from pāx (“peace”) + -ō (forming verbs). Equivalent to re- + pay. Cognate with repacify and French repayer (“to pay again”).",
  "forms": [
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        "singular",
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      "form": "repaid",
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        "1": "repays",
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          "text": "I finally repaid my student loans, just before sending my kids to college.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1707, Isaac Watts, “Godly Sorrow ariſing from the Sufferings of Chriſt”, in Hymns and Spiritual Songs, London: J. Humfreys, page 86:",
          "text": "But drops of Grief can ne’re repay / The debt of Love I owe, […]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1962 April, “Talking of Trains: Short-sighted approach to profits?”, in Modern Railways, page 219:",
          "text": "On the results of the Kent Coast electrification, which is known to be repaying so far a satisfactory return on the investment in it, a Waterloo-Bournemouth scheme shows reasonable financial promise.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
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        "Synonym of pay back in all senses."
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      ],
      "synonyms": [
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          "tags": [
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          "word": "pay back in all senses"
        }
      ]
    },
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      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2013, M. Pavone-MacAluso, Testicular Cancer and Other Tumors of the Genitourinary Tract, page 517:",
          "text": "The possible importance of excessive androgen secretion and the ingestion of agents such as the fluorenamines may repay further investigation.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To make worthwhile; to yield a result worth the effort; to pay off."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "pay off",
          "pay off"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To make worthwhile; to yield a result worth the effort; to pay off."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English transitive verbs"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To give in return; requite."
      ],
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        [
          "requite",
          "requite"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive) To give in return; requite."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
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      "ipa": "/ɹiˈpeɪ/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-repay.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/88/En-us-repay.ogg/En-us-repay.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/En-us-repay.ogg"
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪ"
    }
  ],
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}

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    "English lemmas",
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    "Rhymes:English/eɪ",
    "Rhymes:English/eɪ/2 syllables"
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      "tags": [
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        "singular",
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      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
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        "en:Nautical"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To pay (cover with tar, pitch, etc.) again."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "nautical",
          "nautical"
        ]
      ],
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        "(nautical) To pay (cover with tar, pitch, etc.) again."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "nautical",
        "transport"
      ]
    }
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    {
      "ipa": "/ɹiˈpeɪ/"
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    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-eɪ"
    }
  ],
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}

Download raw JSONL data for repay meaning in English (5.3kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (f889f65 and 8fbd9e8). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.