payable
Americanadjective
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to be paid; due.
a loan payable in 30 days.
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capable of being or liable to be paid.
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Law. imposing an immediate obligation on the debtor.
noun
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an amount, bill, etc., that is to be paid.
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payables, the accounts payable of a business.
Payables are now handled by our computer.
adjective
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(often foll by on) to be paid
payable on the third of each month
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that is capable of being paid
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capable of being profitable
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(of a debt) imposing an obligation on the debtor to pay, esp at once
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of payable
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at pay 1, -able
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Only when an airline is at fault - not issues such as air traffic control problems - is extra compensation payable.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Most of my assets already have beneficiary or transfer-on-death designations: my bank accounts are payable on death, my car and home have transfer-on-death designations, and my investments have beneficiaries.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Meta would pay in 10 annual installments totaling about $11.7 billion, with a further $5 billion payable only if rival platforms sign comparable agreements -- a maximum of $16.7 billion.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
It had $703 million on its March 31 balance sheet, but its liabilities included a $611 million payable for share repurchases, which it paid in April.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
A tremendous effort by kind, old Mrs. Jacobs from the accounts payable department She brings an apple pie — but wait a minute.
From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
