Recoup

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈkuːp/

Definitions

1. To recover a loss or expense by earning future gains
2. To regain what was previously lost or spent, often through subsequent profits
3. To regain money or resources that were lost through later earnings or savings

Etymology: The verb "recoup" entered English from French "recouper," which meant "cut short" or, more literally, "cut back." The French word was built from "re-" and "couper" ("to cut"), so the original image is of cutting something off or reducing it. That sense of cutting survives in the older English meanings, which were used in the context of legal and financial claims: a person could "recoup" by deducting an amount from a sum owed to someone else, effectively cutting back what was due. The modern sense, to win back money or resources that were lost, grew out of that idea of deduction. When you recoup a loss, you are essentially making a cut in the debt or deficit that stands against you until it is balanced again. The word therefore moved from a concrete action of cutting to an abstract act of recovery, which is a neat reversal of the way many financial terms developed.

Synonyms: recover, regain, retrieve, recuperate, offset

Antonyms: lose, forfeit, squander, waste, detract