repay

repay — verb

1. to give back money that you previously received from a lender, such as a bank, a

1.動詞及物B1
釋義

to give back money that you previously received from a lender, such as a bank, a company, or another person, often by making a series of payments

例句

Hao planned to repay the student loan within five years after graduation.

collocation: repay a loan

The bank gave Jabari three years to repay the full amount.

同義詞
  • pay off

    more specific: means completing all payments, especially for a loan or mortgage

  • reimburse

    more formal; typically used when expenses are refunded through an organization

  • settle

    slightly more formal; can also mean closing an account or resolving a bill

反義詞
  • borrow

    opposite action: receiving money with the intention to repay later

文法句型

repay + noun phrase (the loan, the debt)

repay + someone + amount

repay + someone

用法筆記

The amount or debt can follow the verb directly as the object ('repay the loan'), or the person receiving the money can serve as the indirect object placed before the amount ('repay him €200').

常見錯誤

❌I repaid back the loan last month.
✅I repaid the loan last month.
💡'repay' already contains the idea of 'back,' so adding 'back' is repetitive.
❌She repaid the money to him back.
✅She repaid him the money.
💡place the person directly after the verb, without 'to' or 'back.'

2. to show your gratitude to someone by doing something good for them or giving the

2.動詞及物B1
釋義

to show your gratitude to someone by doing something good for them or giving them something, after they have helped you or treated you generously

例句

Noa wanted to repay her aunt's kindness by helping with the garden every weekend.

collocation: repay someone's kindness

Ethan helped Joshua move in, and he repaid the favor with a home-cooked meal.

pattern: repay + person + with + something

同義詞
  • reciprocate

    more formal; often used for emotions or gestures rather than concrete gifts

  • return

    broader and more general; can be used for favors, gestures, or actions

  • require

    very formal and literary; uncommon in everyday speech

反義詞
  • ignore

    opposite: failing to acknowledge someone's help or generosity

文法句型

repay + someone + for + something

repay + someone + with + something

repay + noun phrase (kindness, effort, trust)

用法筆記

Commonly used in the pattern 'repay someone for something' to name the helpful action, and 'repay someone with something' to name what was given in return. The subject is usually a person or a grateful organization.

常見錯誤

❌She repaid his kindness with giving him a ride.
✅She repaid his kindness by giving him a ride.
💡use 'by' + -ing to name the action taken, not 'with' + -ing.
❌He repaid back her trust.
✅He repaid her trust.
💡'back' is always redundant with 'repay,' even in the non-financial sense.