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# prepayment

«prepayment» in Mova's school dictionary: **money you pay before you get something, instead of…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (prepayment, prepayments)

### meaning for a pupil

1) (money) A prepayment is money you pay before you get something, instead of afterwards. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prepayment/#m1)

2) It can also mean paying back part of a loan early, before it is due. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prepayment/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In money lessons, prepayment explains pay-as-you-go phones, prepayment gas and electricity meters (topped up with a card or key in the UK) and deposits for holidays. In maths, a prepayment is subtracted from the total cost to find what is left to pay. Phrases: "prepayment meter", "prepayment required".

### examples

- Prepayment is required, so you must pay when you book. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prepayment/#x1)
- Our flat has a prepayment meter for the electricity. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prepayment/#x2)
- Mum topped up the prepayment card at the shop. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prepayment/#x3)
- The trip costs £60; after a £20 prepayment we still owe £40. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prepayment/#x4)
- Some restaurants ask for a prepayment for big parties. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prepayment/#x5)
- Prepayment means you pay first and get the item later. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prepayment/#x6)
- My phone works on prepayment, so I buy credit before I use it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prepayment/#x7)

### note

Countable or uncountable: "a prepayment of £20", "prepayment is required". Verb: prepay (prepaid). In maths, prepayment reduces the amount still owed: remaining = total − prepayment. A deposit is a kind of prepayment.

### In the corpora

- [Prepayment meters often have emergency credit, and councils and charities can help families who run out often.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/everyday/488-the-electric-meter-the-food-bank-and-we-cant-afford-it/31/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «prepayment» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/prepayment/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.