What does disbursed mean?
"Disbursed" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "disburse," meaning to pay out money from a dedicated fund, treasury, or account, usually through formal or institutional channels. It appears most often in financial and administrative contexts: governments disburse aid, banks disburse loans, and charities disburse grants. The word carries a tone of official procedure and accountability — one does not casually "disburse" ten dollars to a friend; the term suggests documented, authorized distribution of substantial sums. Its history traces back through Old French "desbourser," literally "to open the purse" (from "burse" or "borse," a money pouch), which also gives us related words such as "reimburse," "bursar," and "bourse." Because it sounds similar to "disperse," meaning to scatter, writers sometimes confuse the two, but only "disburse" concerns money changing hands.
verbPast tense and past participle of "disburse": to pay out or distribute money from a fund, typically by an official body or organization.
- To have paid out money from a fund or treasury, especially officially or formally.
"The charity disbursed over two million dollars in relief aid last year."
"The government disbursed emergency funds to flood-affected regions within days."
"Once the grant was approved, the university disbursed the stipend directly to the researcher's account."
Every time money is "disbursed," you're hearing a word born from the French for a leather bag — because that's where the cash used to live.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of disbursed
"Disbursed" derives from the verb "disburse," which entered English in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century from Old French "desbourser," formed from "des-" (apart, away) and "borse" or "burse," meaning a purse or leather money-bag. The underlying image is literal: breaking open the purse to pay out its contents. The same Romance root ultimately connects it to "purse," "bursar," "reimburse," and the French "bourse" (stock exchange).
Related word forms
How disbursed is actually used
"Disbursed" belongs chiefly to formal registers — banking, law, accounting, government finance — and would sound stilted in casual conversation, where "paid out" is more natural. It implies an authoritative source distributing funds, not a simple person-to-person payment.
Easily confused with disbursed
"Disburse" means to pay out money, while "disperse" means to scatter or spread things (or people) widely.