defray means to pay or discharge (a debt, expense etc.); to meet (the cost of something). It carries an Arena rating of 1681, earned across 59 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, defray ranks #434 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #3,012 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #5,899 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #7,440 of 17,143 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
defray is pronounced /dɪˈfɹeɪ/.
Why “defray” is a great word
DEFRAY — [Verb] To provide money to cover a cost or expense. From Middle French desfrayer, French défrayer, from dé- (expressing removal) + Old French fraier ("to spend, bear costs"). First attested in English 1535–45. Unlike "reimburse," which settles a debt already incurred, or "sponsor," which carries a banner of promotion, to defray is a quiet, utilitarian act of financial absorption. It is the company check for the conference fee, the anonymous donation for the library's books, or the crisp bills from a grandfather's pocket laid upon the dinner table—a modest, monetary balm for the friction of living.
Etymology
From Middle French desfrayer, French défrayer, from dé- + Old French fraier (“to spend”).
verb
- To pay or discharge (a debt, expense etc.); to meet (the cost of something).e.g.“The expenses of the war, while in progress, were defrayed by executing rich men and confiscating their property.” — 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.29:
- To pay for (something).
- To spend (money).
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.