bought

American  

[bawt] / bɔt /

verb

1. simple past tense and past participle of buy.

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adjective

1. South Midland and Southern U.S. store-bought.

bought British  

/ bɔːt /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of buy

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adjective

1. purchased from a shop; not homemade

bought Idioms  

1. see under buy.

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Other Word Forms

• unbought adjective
• well-bought adjective

Etymology

Origin of bought

First recorded before 900, for the adjective for an earlier sense

Compare meaning

How does bought compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bought vs. brought

Example Sentences

VCX is a closed-end fund, meaning that it issues a fixed number of shares that can be bought and sold on brokerages throughout the day.

From MarketWatch

He had recently bought other AI boutiques and was on a hunt for the next one.

From The Wall Street Journal

He bought newspaper ads and solicited favorable editorials, appealing to Americans’ patriotic sympathies.

From Barron's

It was the first day retail investors sold more stocks than they bought since November 2023, according to Vanda.

From MarketWatch

The device, bought weeks earlier along with his weapons, contained messages recorded by Roberts.

From BBC