rebate

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/ˈriːbeɪt/
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A return or deduction of money, a British woodworking groove and the act of cutting one, plus older uses for weakening force or sharpness.
Practice using rebate in conversation until it feels natural

Examples

  • Age had rebated the sharpness of the old blade.
  • A leather cover rebated the point of the practice sword.
  • The store advertised the tablet at $399 after rebate.
  • Check the width of the rebate before ordering the pane.
  • Any overpayment must be rebated before the account is closed.

Similar words

return
housing
rabbet
rabbet
recess
notch
recess
refund
channel
soften

Meanings

Refund or deduction

noun
business
neutral
Money returned or deducted from an amount owed, often after a purchase, tax payment, bill, or insurance premium.

Examples

  • The utility company offered a rebate for installing a heat pump.
  • A $200 rebate arrived six weeks after the purchase.
  • The invoice shows a small rebate for early payment.
  • Several insurers paid premium rebates after the audit.
  • The store advertised the tablet at $399 after rebate.

Similar words

refund
discount
deduction
credit
allowance
cashback

Pay back or deduct

verb
business
neutral
To return part of a payment or subtract part of a charge, usually because a rule, promotion, or overpayment allows it.

Examples

  • The council will rebate part of the tax to eligible residents.
  • Manufacturers sometimes rebate installation costs to buyers.
  • The insurer rebated the unused premium after cancellation.
  • The supplier agreed to rebate five percent of the invoice.
  • Any overpayment must be rebated before the account is closed.

Similar words

refund
reimburse
deduct
credit
return
discount

Groove along an edge

noun
woodworking
technical
A groove cut along the edge of wood or another material so a panel, pane, or matching piece can fit into it.

Examples

  • The carpenter cut a rebate along the back of the frame.
  • The glass sits neatly inside the window rebate.
  • A deep rebate helps the panel lie flush with the door.
  • The shelf uses a rebate joint at each end.
  • Check the width of the rebate before ordering the pane.

Similar words

rabbet
groove
recess
channel
notch
housing

Cut an edge groove

verb
woodworking
technical
To cut a groove along an edge so a panel, pane, seal, or joint can sit neatly in the material.

Examples

  • The joiner will rebate the edge before fitting the panel.
  • They rebated the frame so the glass would sit securely.
  • Use a router to rebate the underside of the shelf.
  • The door stile was rebated to receive the weather strip.
  • She marked the line where the board should be rebated.

Similar words

rabbet
groove
recess
channel
notch
cut

Lessen or blunt

verb
general
archaic
To make force, sharpness, or intensity weaker, now found mostly in older or literary writing.

Examples

  • The treaty was meant to rebate the power of the nobles.
  • Age had rebated the sharpness of the old blade.
  • Nothing could rebate his anger that evening.
  • The long delay rebated the force of the complaint.
  • A leather cover rebated the point of the practice sword.

Similar words

lessen
diminish
reduce
blunt
soften
weaken

Etymology

From Middle English and Anglo-French forms of rabattre or rebatre, meaning to beat back, put down, or deduct, from re- and abatre.

FAQ

Comments & contributions

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Maple Kiwi
Sep 25
Tiny grammar thing I see learners do: you claim a rebate, get a rebate, qualify for a rebate. You dont usually "buy a rebate"
2
Reply
Scarlet Robin
Sep 24
Spanish brain warning: rebaja is a sale markdown, reembolso is refund. I keep wanting rebate to mean rebaja and it is only sometimes close
1
Reply
Fond Panther
Sep 17
dont assume a rebate check is a bank check. some stores mean a paper barcode you can only spend back in that store
4
Reply
Rustic Sparrow
Sep 12
In US taxes I hear refund for the normal annual thing. rebate feels more like a special credit, stimulus payment, property-tax program, that sort of bucket
5
Reply
Teal Newt
Sep 8
the joinery meaning threw me so hard. I came for money back and suddenly there was a window frame
4
Reply
Contribution
Fleet Caribou
Sep 7
Woodworking search tip: if you are in the US and search for a rebate bit, half the useful results may be hiding under rabbet bit. In the UK it goes the other way round, rebate plane, rebate joint, rebated frame.
7
Reply
Breezy Chipmunk
Sep 7
"instant rebate" is the confusing label, because at the till it behaves like a discount. marketing departments love making the clean words dirty
1
Reply
Contribution
Snowy Kiwi
Sep 3
In supplier contracts this can be more specific than an ordinary discount. A wholesaler might pay list price all quarter, hit a volume target, then get a 3 percent rebate later. The invoice price didnt change, the later credit did.
6
Reply
Frosty Koala
Sep 2
I would never say I rebated the laptop. rebated the fee maybe, but even then it sounds like accounting language
2
Reply
Contribution
Curious Parrot
Aug 31
For UK tax stuff, rebate is not a weird old word. HMRC pages use refund, repayment and rebate for money back after too much tax, so "claim a tax rebate" sounds normal here. The sketchy bit is when some company takes a fee to claim it for you.
8
Reply
Scarlet Oriole
Aug 31
rebate = coupon with homework, basically
3
Reply
Contribution
Northern Donkey
Aug 26
US shopping tip: if the ad says $399 after rebate, you normally still pay the bigger price at checkout and do paperwork after. Sometimes it comes back as a prepaid card or store credit, not nice clean cash in your hand.
12
Reply
Lucky Turtle
Aug 30
yep, and that tiny mail-in form is exactly where people mess it up lol
1
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