defray

«defray» in Mova's school dictionary: To pay some or all of the cost of something: «to defray… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

verb (defray, defrays, defrayed, defraying)

meaning for a pupil

(formal) To pay some or all of the cost of something: «to defray the costs». tree →

sense in the lessons

A formal, exam and business word, nearly always with «costs» or «expenses». In everyday life people say «help pay for» or «cover». In school letters: «A small charge will help defray the cost of the trip.» It tells you money is given to reduce what someone has to pay.

examples

• The bake sale helped defray the cost of the school trip. tree →
• (formal) The company will defray all travel expenses. tree →
• Parents were asked for two pounds to defray the cost of the coach. tree →
• Selling tickets helped defray the expenses of the play. tree →
• (formal) A grant was awarded to defray the costs of research. tree →
• If they are not claimed in seven days they are sent far away to the Neverland to defray expenses. tree →

note

Formal; almost always «defray the cost(s)/expenses». Past: «defrayed». In maths problems, if a club raises money to defray costs, subtract it from the total: costs of 500 minus 200 raised leaves 300 still to pay.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «defray» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.