discount

1 of 3

noun

dis·​count ˈdi-ˌskau̇nt How to pronounce discount (audio)
1
: a reduction made from the gross (see gross entry 1 sense 3b) amount or value of something: such as
a(1)
: a reduction made from a regular or list price
offering customers a ten percent discount
buy tickets at a discount
(2)
: a proportionate deduction from a debt account usually made for cash or prompt payment
b
: a deduction made for interest in advancing money upon or purchasing a bill or note not due
2
: the act or practice of discounting (see discount entry 2)
3
: a deduction taken or allowance made
… we may … have to make very heavy discount, or even sometimes to reject our author's conclusions altogether.G. G. Coulton

discount

2 of 3

verb

discounted; discounting; discounts

transitive verb

1
a
: to make a deduction (see deduction sense 1a) from usually for cash or prompt payment
a discounted price
b
: to sell or offer for sale at a discount (see discount entry 1 sense 1)
discounting last year's model
2
: to lend money on after deducting the discount
3
a
: to leave out of account or consideration : disregard
discount the possibility that the situation may worsen
its effect cannot be entirely discounted
b
: to minimize the importance of
shouldn't discount his contributions
c(1)
: to make allowance (see allowance entry 1 sense 2) for bias or exaggeration in
discount most of their claims
(2)
: to view with doubt
discount a rumor
d
: to anticipate or take into account (something, such as a future event) in present calculations or planning
… mail came chiefly from those organized groups whose opposition had already been discountedTime

intransitive verb

: to give or make discounts (see discount entry 1)
stores planning to discount after the holidays
discounter
ˈdi-ˌskau̇n-tər How to pronounce discount (audio)
di-ˈskau̇n-
noun

discount

3 of 3

adjective

dis·​count ˈdi-ˌskau̇nt How to pronounce discount (audio)
1
a
: selling goods or services for less than their regular or list price : selling goods or services at a discount (see discount entry 1 sense 1a(1))
discount stores
a discount broker
discount airlines
b
: offered or sold at a discount
discount tickets
2
: reflecting a discount
discount prices

Examples of discount in a Sentence

Noun The store offers a two percent discount when customers pay in cash. a discount of 20% from the original price Verb The vacation plan included a discounted price on our hotel room. Car dealers are heavily discounting last year's unsold models. These threats cannot be entirely discounted.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In some cases, merchants might want to only offer discounts or freebies to groups of workers who are high volume users, such as gas discounts for Lyft drivers. Jena McGregor, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2024 This discount applies across Avelo’s entire network for trips between Nov. 6 and Feb. 10, 2025, excluding blackout periods from Nov. 23 to Dec. 2 and Dec. 21 to Jan. 5, 2025. Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 28 Oct. 2024
Verb
Everlane has no shortage of travel-friendly wardrobe pieces deeply discounted on-site right now. Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2024 Items on this aisle are deeply discounted compared to other big box retailers and Amazon. Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Norse Atlantic Airways, a discount European airline, recently revealed dozens of flight deals on flights from the United States to Europe throughout the rest of 2024 and early 2025 as part of a September Sale. Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 6 Sep. 2024 Those ties have been buoyed by discount Russian oil purchases from China and sanctions-hit Russia’s increasing reliance on Chinese consumer goods amid its economic isolation. Simone McCarthy, CNN, 8 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for discount 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'discount.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb, Noun, and Adjective

modification of French décompter, from Old French desconter, from Medieval Latin discomputare, from Latin dis- + computare to count — more at count

First Known Use

Noun

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1621, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Adjective

1854, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of discount was in 1621

Dictionary Entries Near discount

Cite this Entry

“Discount.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discount. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

discount

1 of 2 noun
dis·​count ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt How to pronounce discount (audio)
: an amount taken off a regular price
a ten percent discount for all employees

discount

2 of 2 verb
1
a
: to lower the amount of a bill, debt, or charge
b
: to sell or offer for sale at a lowered price
2
a
: minimize sense 2b
shouldn't discount the importance of studying
b
: to believe only partly : view with doubt
discount the rumors
discountable
-ə-bəl
adjective

Legal Definition

discount

1 of 3 noun
dis·​count ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt How to pronounce discount (audio)
: a reduction made from the gross amount or value of something: as
a
: a reduction made from a regular or list price or a proportionate deduction from a debt account usually made for prompt payment or for payment in cash
b
: a reduction made for interest in advancing money upon or purchasing a note not yet due
c
: a reduction in the price of a bond see also discount bond at bond sense 2
d
: the sale of securities that are issued below and redeemed at face value compare premium sense 1

discount

2 of 3 transitive verb
1
a
: to make a deduction from usually for cash or prompt payment
b
: to sell or offer at a lowered price
2
: to lend money on after deducting a discount
banks discount negotiable instruments
3
: to take into account (a future event or prospect) in making present calculations

intransitive verb

: to give or make discounts

discount

3 of 3 adjective
dis·​count ˈdis-ˌkau̇nt How to pronounce discount (audio)
1
a
: selling goods or services at a discount
a discount broker
b
: offered or sold at a discount
discount securities
2
: reflecting a discount
the discount price

More from Merriam-Webster on discount

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!