restitution
Americannoun
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reparation made by giving an equivalent or compensation for loss, damage, or injury caused; indemnification.
- Synonyms:
- repayment, satisfaction, requital, compensation, amends, recompense
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the restoration of property or rights previously taken away, conveyed, or surrendered.
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restoration to the former or original state or position.
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Physics. the return to an original physical condition, especially after elastic deformation.
noun
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the act of giving back something that has been lost or stolen
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law the act of compensating for loss or injury by reverting as far as possible to the position before such injury occurred
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the return of an object or system to its original state, esp a restoration of shape after elastic deformation
Usage
What does restitution mean? Restitution is payment or some other form of compensation that is given to make up for loss, damage, or injury that has been caused.Restitution can also refer to the act or process of compensating someone in this way.The point of restitution is to return what has been lost or stolen or to repair the damage or injury that has been done so that things can be returned to how they originally were or as close as possible.The word is especially used in a legal context to refer to compensation that is required by someone who has caused loss, damage, or injury as part of a crime. Restitution often involves monetary payments, but it can involve other forms of compensation.Example: The defendant was ordered to pay $1 million dollars in restitution to compensate for injuries and property damage.
Related Words
See redress.
Other Word Forms
- nonrestitution noun
- restitutive adjective
- restitutory adjective
- unrestitutive adjective
Etymology
Origin of restitution
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English restitucioun, from Old French restitution, restitucion, from Latin restitūtiōn- (stem of restitūtiō ) “a rebuilding, restoration,” equivalent to restitūt(us) + -iōn-. See restitute, -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The outcome included a court order to pay $1.2 million in restitution to the IRS.
From MarketWatch
The plaintiff in the second suit is seeking compensatory, treble and restitution damages for herself and other Costco customers.
From Salon
“You have victims who want justice, you have people who maybe are entitled to restitution orders, you have all sorts of good reasons to say, ‘Hey, the criminal prosecution takes priority over the deportation.’”
From Los Angeles Times
A restitution hearing will be scheduled at a later date to determine how much money Navarro must pay to compensate victims.
From Los Angeles Times
Pine added that enforcement efforts are ongoing and that all cases filed seek restitution of hundreds or thousands of dollars paid to victims.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
