What does recoup mean?
Recoup is a transitive verb meaning to recover or regain something that has been spent, lost, or otherwise expended. It is especially common when referring to money, costs, losses, expenses, investments, or time: a business may recoup its expenses, a traveler may recoup the cost of a journey, or an athlete may recoup a lead lost earlier. The word can also mean to make up for a loss more generally, as in “recoup one’s losses.” Recoup usually implies that the earlier loss or expenditure is offset or recovered, rather than simply that a missing object has been found. It is used in formal and informal contexts, including business, finance, law, sports, and everyday conversation. Its history reflects an older financial sense: the English word comes through French from a term associated with cutting back or deducting amounts, before developing into its familiar modern meaning of recovering a loss.
verbTo recover or regain something, especially money, costs, losses, or time, after it has been spent or lost. It can also mean to make up for a loss or offset an expense.
- Recover money, time, effort, or other resources that have been spent, lost, or invested.
- Make up for a loss or offset an expense.
"The additional bookings helped the business recoup its marketing costs."
"Tourists were eager to recoup the cost of the long journey."
"It took several months for the company to recoup its losses."
Recoup comes from French recouper, literally “cut back,” a fitting origin for a word that now means recovering what was spent or lost.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does recoup come from?
The English word comes from French recouper, “to cut back” or “deduct,” formed from re-, meaning “back” or “again,” and couper, “to cut.” Couper ultimately derives from Latin caedere, “to cut, fell.” Its early financial associations with cutting back or deducting developed into the modern sense of recovering expenses, losses, or other outlays.
Related word forms
How recoup is actually used
Standard in business, financial, legal, and general English. It often conveys the recovery of a loss or expense and can suggest that the amount recovered offsets an earlier expenditure.
Easily confused with recoup
To recoup is to recover or make up for a loss, whereas to recap is to summarize the main points of something.