Synonyms

recoup

American

[ri-koop] / rɪˈkup /

verb (used with object)

to get back the equivalent of.

to recoup one's losses by a lucky investment.

Synonyms:

balance, retrieve, restore, recover
to regain or recover.
to reimburse or indemnify; pay back.

to recoup a person for expenses.

Synonyms:

remunerate, recompense
Law. to withhold (a portion of something due), having some rightful claim to do so.

verb (used without object)

to get back an equivalent, as of something lost.
Law. (of a defendant in a lawsuit) to plead that one is owed, in the same matter, an amount by the plaintiff which applies against the payment of one’s own debt to the plaintiff.

noun

an act of recouping.

recoup British

/ rɪˈkuːp /

verb

to regain or make good (a financial or other loss)
(tr) to reimburse or compensate (someone), as for a loss
law to keep back (something due), having rightful claim to do so; withhold; deduct

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of recoup

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French recouper “to cut back, cut again,” equivalent to re- re- ( def. ) + couper “to cut”; see coup ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

To recoup is a kind of recovery: If you lost some money but then made that amount back, you recouped your loss. When you recuperate, you get better after being sick. And when you recoup something, you get better or bounce back after a loss. Businesses that lose money try to recoup it by throwing a sale or cutting their budget. If a runner falls behind in a race but then speeds up to the front of the pack, he's recouped his lead. In some cases this word also means "to reimburse."

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

UFC's parent company said in February the fight will cost at least $60 million to stage, but that it hoped to recoup around half that in corporate sponsorships and other sources.

From Barron's • May 26, 2026

But, he added, that sites should only be cleared up using public money if the land is owned by criminals themselves - and seized and sold off to recoup the cost.

From BBC • May 22, 2026

Companies only make that kind of investment if they can recoup those costs when a treatment proves successful and continue to invest in breakthrough drugs.

From Salon • May 15, 2026

More than 3,000 lawsuits have been filed at the Court of International Trade against the federal government by importers large and small seeking to recoup their share of the $166 billion collected in illegal tariffs.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

He is desperate for his paintings to sell—they are selling some, but many more have to sell so that Theo can recoup all the money he's laid out for Vincent over the years.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023