defray

UK: /dɪˈfreɪ/ US: /dɪˈfreɪ/ ,(di frā′)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

de•fray /dɪˈfreɪ/   v. [ ~ + obj],

1. to pay all or part of:
   to help defray some of the costs.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

de•fray  (di frā′), v.t. 

1. to bear or pay all or part of (the costs, expenses, etc.):
   The grant helped defray the expenses of the trip.

• Latin frācta things broken (see fracture), hence, expense incurred from breakage
• Middle French défrayer, Old French deffroier to pay costs, equivalent. to de- dis-¹ + frayer to bear the costs, derivative of frais, fres (plural) costs, probably
• 1535–45

de•fray′a•ble, adj. 
de•fray′er, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

defray / dɪˈfreɪ/ verb

1. (transitive) to furnish or provide money for (costs, expenses, etc); pay

Etymology: 16th Century: from Old French deffroier to pay expenses, from de- dis-¹ + frai expenditure, originally: cost incurred through breaking something, from Latin frangere to break

deˈfrayable adjective

deˈfrayal, deˈfrayment noun