What does "stipend" mean?
A regular fixed payment made to someone (especially a clergyman, judge, soldier, or teacher) for services provided by them; a salary.
Stipend
/ˈstaɪpɛnd/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A regular fixed payment made to someone (especially a clergyman, judge, soldier, or teacher) for services provided by them; a salary.
- Grammar: stipend is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: account, aid, alimony, allotment.
- Useful contrasts: defund, salary, wage.
- Usage evidence: Yanni increased Rima's stipend.
How to use "stipend"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "stipend" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "stipend" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "stipend" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "stipend" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "stipend" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "account" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "stipend", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A regular fixed payment made to someone (especially a clergyman, judge, soldier, or teacher) for services provided by them; a salary. archaic
"He ſent for Ariſtotle (the greateſt Philoſopher in his time, & beſt learned) to teach his ſonne, vnto vvhom he gaue honorable ſtipend."
- 2 a sum of money allotted on a regular basis; usually for some specific purpose wordnet
- 3 Some other form of fixed (and generally small) payment occurring at regular intervals, such as an allowance, a pension, or (obsolete) a tax. broadly
"My stipend for doing public service is barely enough to cover living expenses."
- 4 A scholarship granted to a student. broadly
- 5 Money which is earned; an income. obsolete
"And that knights competency you haue gotten / VVith care and labour: he vvith luſt and idleneſſe / VVill bring into the ſtypend of a begger; […]"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A one-off payment for a service provided. obsolete
"["H]e [Jesus] vvas man, he took upon him our ſins;" Not the vvork of ſin, I mean not ſo, not to do it, not to commit it, but to purge it, to cleanſe it, to bear the ſtipend of it: […]"
Verb
- 1 To provide (someone) with a stipend (an allowance, a pension, a salary, etc.). historical, obsolete, transitive
"I, Sir, am a Phyſician, and am ſtipended in this Iland to bee ſo to the Gouernours of it: and I am much more carefull of their health, then of mine ovvn; ſtudying night & day, and vveighing the complexion of the Gouernour, that I may hit the better vpon the curing him, vvhenſoeuer hee falls ſicke: […]"
Example
"Yanni increased Rima's stipend."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "stipend"?
Common synonyms include: account, aid, alimony, allotment, allowance, allowance.
How do you use "stipend" in a sentence?
Yanni increased Rima's stipend.
How do you pronounce "stipend"?
Pronounced /ˈstaɪpɛnd/.
Etymology
The noun is derived from Late Middle English stipend, stipende (“salary, wage”) [and other forms], from Old French stipende, stipendie, from Latin stīpendium (“contribution; dues; impost, tax; tribute; military pay or stipend; military service”), from *stipipendium, *stippendium, from stips (“alms; contribution, donation, gift”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steyp- (“erect; stiff”)) + pendere (the present active infinitive of pendō (“to cause to hang down or suspend; to weigh, weigh out; (hence) to pay”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- (“to pull; to spin; to stretch”)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * Italian stipendio * Portuguese estipendio * Spanish estipendio