restitution

noun

res·​ti·​tu·​tion ˌre-stə-ˈtü-shən 

-ˈtyü-

1

: an act of restoring or a condition of being restored: such as

a

: a restoration of something to its rightful owner

b

: a making good of or giving an equivalent for some injury

2

: a legal action serving to cause restoration of a previous state

Synonyms

• compensation
• damages
• indemnification
• indemnity
• quittance
• recompense
• recoupment
• redress
• remuneration
• reparation
• reprisal(s)
• requital
• satisfaction

Examples of restitution in a Sentence

the restitution of her stolen property

He was ordered to make restitution to the victim.

Recent Examples on the Web

Jane was awarded over $281,000 in restitution for her herpes treatment, while Stephanie received over $70,000. —Edward Segarra, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025

The former couple, who had been romantically involved for over a decade, was later ordered to pay $452 million in restitution. —Danielle Bacher, People.com, 14 Feb. 2025

Holmes was sentenced to 11 years in prison in November 2022 for fraud and conspiracy and ordered to pay $452 million in restitution to investors for scamming investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars by lying to raise money for her blood-testing startup Theranos. —Mollie Markowitz, Fox News, 12 Feb. 2025

Bartels was also ordered to pay $638,000 in restitution and register through the Ohio Arson Registry. —Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 11 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English restitucioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin restitution-, restitutio, from restituere to restore, from re- + statuere to set up — more at statute

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

restitution

noun

res·​ti·​tu·​tion ˌres-tə-ˈt(y)ü-shən 

: the giving of something back to its rightful owner or the giving of something of equal value (as for loss or damage)

Legal Definition

restitution

noun

res·​ti·​tu·​tion ˌres-tə-ˈtü-shən, -ˈtyü- 

1

a

: a restoration of something to its rightful owner

b

: a making good of or giving an equivalent for some injury

2

a

: the equitable remedy of restoring to an aggrieved party that which was obtained in unjust enrichment

b

: a remedy for breach of contract that consists of restoring the aggrieved party to the status quo that existed before the contract was made

3

: an amount to be paid for the purpose of restitution

ordered to pay restitution to the victim of his crime

compare fine

restitutional

ˌres-tə-ˈtü-shə-nəl, -ˈtyü-

adjective

restitutionary

ˌres-tə-ˈtü-shə-ˌner-ē, -ˈtyü-

adjective

restitutive

ˈres-tə-ˌtü-tiv, -ˌtyü-

adjective

restitutory

ˌres-tə-ˈtü-tə-rē, -ˈtyü-; rə-ˈsti-tyə-ˌtōr-ē

adjective