What does disburse mean?
To disburse is to pay out money, usually from a fund that has been set aside for a specific purpose, and almost always in an official or institutional context. Governments disburse relief payments, banks disburse loans, and charities disburse donations to their beneficiaries. The verb carries a formal, administrative tone: it suggests not casual spending but the careful release of funds according to rules, schedules, or approvals. Its most common derivative, the noun "disbursement," appears constantly in accounting and legal documents to mean any sum so paid out. The word's history is vividly practical — it descends from the French phrase for emptying one's "burse" or purse, and it shares this root with "reimburse." Because it looks and sounds much like "disperse," which means to scatter people or things, careful writers take care to keep the two distinct. For anyone dealing with finance, grants, or public administration, "disburse" is precise, professional vocabulary worth knowing well.
verbTo pay out or distribute money from a fund, typically in an official or formal capacity.
- (of an organization or official body) to pay out or distribute money from a fund or account.
"The charity disbursed over two million dollars in relief aid last year."
"The government agency will disburse the grants once all applications have been reviewed."
"Funds are disbursed to the contractor in stages as each phase of the project is completed."
Hidden inside "disburse" is an old French word for "purse" — so every time money is disbursed, it literally comes out of the purse.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of disburse
"Disburse" derives from the Old French "desbourser," formed from "des-" (apart, away) and "borse" meaning purse or money bag, itself from Late Latin "bursa," ultimately from Greek "byrsa" (hide, skin). It entered English in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century, retaining its literal sense of taking money out of the purse. The same Latin root gives English "purse," "reimburse," "bursar," and the stock exchange known as the Bourse.
Related word forms
How disburse is actually used
"Disburse" belongs chiefly to formal, financial, and administrative registers; it is standard in banking, legal, and governmental contexts but rare in casual conversation. It implies money paid out from an organized fund rather than personal spending.
Easily confused with disburse
"Disburse" means to pay out money, while "disperse" means to scatter or spread things or people in different directions.