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Synonyms

pay for

British  

verb

  1. to make payment (of) for

  2. (intr) to suffer or be punished, as for a mistake, wrong decision, etc

    in his old age he paid for the laxity of his youth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pay for Idioms  
  1. Cover the expenses of, defray the cost of, as in I'll pay for your movie ticket , or This truck will pay for itself within a year . [Mid-1300s]

  2. Atone for, suffer for, as in He may have looked like a good manager, but his successor will end up paying for his mistakes . [Late 1600s]


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.

Increasingly stretched consumers are starting to draw the line on what they will pay for a new car, according to dealers, analysts and industry data.

From The Wall Street Journal

Too many families are trapped between impossible choices: Stay home and lose income, or work just to pay for care.

From Salon

"At least bring us a bus, let everyone pay for their own ticket and take us to Ecuador so we can continue on the route to Venezuela," he said.

From Barron's

“The driver thinks he should be compensated $1,500 for the tires he’s still paying for.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Two years later, the car had mechanical problems and the relative quit paying for it.

From MarketWatch