DISBURSES Synonyms: 31 Similar and Opposite Words

disburses

verb

present tense third-person singular of disburse

as in pays

to hand over or use up in payment the foundation disburses money to many worthy causes

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of disburses The organization disburses the funds as grants for projects, including trail maintenance, emergency first responder training and equipment, avalanche forecasting and more, according to its website. — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 8 Oct. 2026 Since 2021, the organization has received at least $25 million in grants from the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, which disburses city, county and federal funds to address the region’s homelessness problem. — Audrey McGlinchy, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 The collective interest is routed to the IOLTA, and a board disburses money as grants to eligible legal aid groups that apply. — Nick Sullivan july 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 July 2026 The attorney general will pick who disburses money from the fund and the president can remove any of those people, according to the DOJ. — Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 19 May 2026 About 8% of Wisconsin school funding comes from federal sources, according to the DPI, which disburses funds to districts. — Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 2 Oct. 2025 Once federal student aid is approved, the Department of Education disburses the money to the school, which deducts the tuition costs and forwards the remaining balance to the student to cover living expenses. — John Wisely, Freep.com, 25 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for disburses

Verb

So instead of making teams whole each time, the NFL now just pays teams’ travel expenses for their international game under the rationale that every team will lose a home game—and, in turn, home game ticket revenue—during that time.

— Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 16 Oct. 2026
The result is a politics in which almost everyone agrees that reform is urgently needed, provided someone else pays, and their own group’s advantages remain untouched.

— Nicholas Bequelin, Time, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of pays

Verb

Compared to a woman who spends her days toiling to defend some of America’s most underserved, Lee’s a man who wrote a puff piece about some rich, white dude.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
For anyone who spends a lot of time online, the series’s AI origins are hard to miss.

— Britta Miller, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of spends

Verb

But a new federal political action committee gives him a way to start building beyond Pennsylvania.

— Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2026
If benefits shrink or get taxed more aggressively down the road (which is a legitimate concern) having a tax-free income source gives you flexibility a pre-tax account simply can’t.

— Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of gives

Browse Nearby Words

disbursements

disburses

disbursing

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“Disburses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disburses. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of disburses

verb

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