A refund is money given back to you when you return something you bought or when you were charged too much. If you buy a video game that doesn't work properly and take it back to the store, the store might give you a refund: they return your money and take back the broken game. When your family accidentally gets charged twice for the same restaurant meal, they can call the credit card company and request a refund of the duplicate charge.

The word can work as either a noun or a verb. You might receive a refund (noun) of twenty dollars, or the store might refund (verb) your twenty dollars. Some stores have strict refund policies, meaning they'll only give refunds within a certain number of days or if you have your receipt. Others offer generous refunds to keep customers happy.

Getting a refund usually requires proof that you actually made the purchase, which is why people save receipts or keep email confirmations.