Recoup

//ɹɪˈkuːp// verb

verb ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    To make back (an investment or similar). intransitive, transitive

    "He barely managed to recoup his money. He sold out for just what he had invested."

  2. 2
    retain and refrain from disbursing; of payments wordnet
  3. 3
    To recover from an error. intransitive
  4. 4
    regain or make up for wordnet
  5. 5
    To keep back rightfully (a part), as if by cutting off, so as to diminish a sum due; to take off (a part) from damages; to deduct. transitive

    "A landlord recouped the rent of premises from damages awarded to the plaintiff for eviction."

Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    reimburse or compensate (someone), as for a loss wordnet
  2. 7
    To reimburse; to indemnify; often used reflexively and in the passive voice. transitive

    "Elizabeth had lost her venture; but if she was bold, she might recoup herself at Philip's cost."

Synonyms

All synonyms
recoverrecoveratonecompensatedeductearn back

Example

More examples

"He kept on gambling, trying in vain to recoup his losses."

Etymology

From French recouper (“cut short”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.