pay
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to settle (a debt, obligation, etc.), as by transferring money or goods, or by doing something.
Please pay your bill.
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to give over (a certain amount of money) in exchange for something.
He paid twenty dollars for the shirt.
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to transfer money as compensation or recompense for work done or services rendered; to satisfy the claims of (a person, organization, etc.), as by giving money due.
He paid me for my work.
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to defray (cost or expense).
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to give compensation for.
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to yield a recompense or return to; be profitable to.
Your training will pay you well in the future.
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to yield as a return.
The stock paid six percent last year.
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to requite, as for good, harm, or an offense.
How can I pay her for her kindness and generosity?
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to give or render (attention, respects, compliments, etc.), as if due or fitting.
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to make (a call, visit, etc.).
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to suffer in retribution.
You'll pay the penalty for your stubbornness!
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Nautical. to let (a ship) fall off to leeward.
verb (used without object)
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to transfer money, goods, etc., as in making a purchase or settling a debt.
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to discharge a debt or obligation.
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to yield a return, profit, or advantage; be worthwhile.
It pays to be courteous.
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to give compensation, as for damage or loss sustained.
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to suffer or be punished for something; atone.
The murderer paid with his life.
noun
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the act of paying or being paid; payment.
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wages, salary, or a stipend.
- Synonyms:
- allowance, income, honorarium, fee, emolument, remuneration
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a person with reference to solvency or reputation for meeting obligations.
The bank regards him as good pay.
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paid employment.
One of the army officers was actually in the pay of the enemy.
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reward or punishment; requital.
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a rock stratum from which petroleum is obtained.
adjective
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requiring subscribed or monthly payment for use or service.
With pay TV, you can watch hit movies from the comfort of your own home.
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operable or accessible on deposit of a coin or coins.
Do you have any change for the pay toilet?
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of or relating to payment.
verb phrase
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pay for to suffer or be punished for.
The corrupt cop finally pays for his sins when the gang betrays him.
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pay back. see payback.
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pay up
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to pay fully.
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to pay on demand.
The gangsters used threats of violence to force the shopkeepers to pay up.
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pay down
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to pay (part of the total price) at the time of purchase, with the promise to pay the balance in installments.
On this plan you pay only ten percent down.
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to pay off or back; amortize.
The company's debt is being paid down rapidly.
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pay off. see payoff.
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pay out. see payout.
idioms
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pay it forward, to express gratitude for kindness or good fortune by doing good for someone else.
People were very helpful to us, so we want to pay it forward to other entrepreneurs just starting out.
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pay one's / its way,
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to pay one's portion of shared expenses.
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to yield a return on one's investment sufficient to repay one's expenses.
It will take time for the restaurant to begin paying its way.
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pay as you go,
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to pay for (goods, services, etc.) at the time of purchase, as opposed to buying on credit.
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to spend no more than income permits; keep out of debt.
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to pay income tax by regular deductions from one's salary or wages.
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verb (used with object)
verb
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to discharge (a debt, obligation, etc) by giving or doing something
he paid his creditors
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to give (money) to (a person) in return for goods or services
they pay their workers well
they pay by the hour
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to give or afford (a person) a profit or benefit
it pays one to be honest
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(tr) to give or bestow (a compliment, regards, attention, etc)
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(tr) to make (a visit or call)
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to give compensation or make amends
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(tr) to yield a return of
the shares pay 15 per cent
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to give or do (something equivalent) in return; pay back
he paid for the insult with a blow
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(tr; past tense and past participle paid or payed) nautical to allow (a vessel) to make leeway
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informal to acknowledge or accept (something) as true, just, etc
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to contribute one's share of expenses
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to remain solvent without outside help
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noun
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money given in return for work or services; a salary or wage
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( as modifier )
a pay slip
pay claim
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paid employment (esp in the phrase in the pay of )
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(modifier) requiring the insertion of money or discs before or during use
a pay phone
a pay toilet
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(modifier) rich enough in minerals to be profitably mined or worked
pay gravel
verb
Usage
what is a basic definition of pay? Pay means to give money to someone to settle a debt or obligation. Pay also means to give money in exchange for something. Pay is also a person’s salary or wages. Pay has many other senses as a verb and a noun. Pay means to settle a bill or a debt, such as paying the check at a restaurant or paying your electric bill. Sometimes you can pay in advance, meaning you pay for the product or service before you receive it. The past tense of the verb pay is paid. Real-life examples: Homeowners pay their mortgages. Citizens pay taxes to the government. College students often have to pay student loans. Used in a sentence: I always keep enough money in the bank to pay my rent on time. Pay also means to give someone money for a product or service. Real-life examples: A person might pay $20 for some old shirts. A parent may pay a store $50 for a gift for their child. A rich person may pay $5 million for a mansion. Used in a sentence: She paid the actor $5 for an autographed picture. Pay is also the money a person earns in exchange for their labor. This sense of pay is a synonym of salary or earnings. Real-life examples: When you have a job, you earn your pay. A doctor has a much higher pay than a teenager working a part-time job. Workers often go on strike or negotiate with the company to try and get a better pay. Used in a sentence: He may not like his job that much, but he never complains about the pay.
Synonym Usage
Pay, wage or wages, salary, stipend are terms for amounts of money or equivalent benefits, usually given at a regular rate or at regular intervals, in return for services. Pay is the general term: His pay went up every year. Wage usually designates the pay given at an hourly, daily, or weekly rate, often for manual or semiskilled work; wages usually means the cumulative amount paid at regular intervals for such work: an hourly wage; weekly wages. Salary designates a fixed, periodic payment for regular work or services, usually computed on a monthly or yearly basis: an annual salary paid in twelve equal monthly installments. Stipend designates a periodic payment, either as a professional salary or, more commonly, as a salary in return for special services or as a grant in support of creative or scholarly work: an annual stipend for work as a consultant; a stipend to cover living expenses.
Etymology
Origin of pay1
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English paien, payen, from Old French paier, paiier, from Medieval Latin pācāre “to satisfy, settle (a debt),” Latin: “to impose a settlement on”; cf. peace
Origin of pay2
First recorded in 1610–20; from Middle French poier, Old French peier, from Latin picāre “to smear with pitch,” derivative of pix (stem pic- ) pitch 2
Explanation
When you pay, you give money in return for something. It’s not always money, though. If your brother says, “You’ll pay for this!” after you snooped in his room, he’s not talking about money. He means you’re going to get it! Your neighbor might pay you to shovel his driveway — and you can take the money you earn and pay for movie tickets for you and your best friend. Whenever there's an exchange of money and goods (or services), someone pays someone else. It can also be used for ideas. If your teacher warns your class that "crime doesn't pay," she means you might get money but it's not worth it. Education does pay, though, because it makes you smarter.
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.
See Examples For:
By the ‘40s and ‘50s, the postwar home and its many accouterments — powered by wartime advancements, growing abundance and an ethos of “buy now, pay later” — amplified the promise.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Micron said last month it would give the equivalent of up to 68 months of pay to staff but the one-off payment was rejected by workers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
What’s more, you still have $280,000 left to pay on your $1.1 million home, so you may wish to clear that before planning your respective retirement parties.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Social media is brimming with content from people like Howard who say they won’t pay high bills and advise others to not pay them, or who share tips on how to cut their bills.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
“Don’t worry. I’ll pay her back. I forgot to tell her I didn’t need any this week.”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Since May, spot prices paid for transporting goods have been increasing, despite the overall volume of shipments at the ports remaining flat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Oil tanker captains are being paid $100,000 a month to travel through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the Financial Times.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Farmer Preston Arrington, who has a 2,100-acre farm in Mississippi, told MarketWatch on Tuesday that when he bought a truckload of red-dyed diesel for his farming equipment a month ago, he paid $4.12 a gallon.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Halzen, who grew up in Belgium, paid rich tribute to the roughly 450 people across more than a dozen countries who have helped turn an idea he conceived in the late 1980s into reality.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
He got paid good money to load and unload cargo from the big Panamax ships that docked at the Port of Churchill.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
The exact format of the competition is yet to be confirmed, but it is expected that games will be payed behind closed doors in the Kyiv region and other cities further west.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2022
Born into a jazz family, Mtume payed in Miles Davis’ electric band before becoming a Grammy-winning R&B songwriter and producer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2022
Rapper Kanye West payed tribute to his friend and colleague during his weekly Sunday Service gospel music performance.
From Reuters ● Nov. 30, 2021
The cuts are reportedly the result of Oppo expanding too rapidly in recent years, moving aggressively into new countries and product categories with big bets that haven’t payed off.
From The Verge ● Sep. 20, 2021
Those who had rashly attempted to do so payed dearly for their rashness.
From Dusty Star by Olaf Baker
We can find it on autopsies, but the public isn’t paying attention to that.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
By paying only $850,000 for your bond, the buyer would receive the 5.6% interest payments your bond pays plus $150,000 in appreciation when the bond matures at $1 million.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
“A substantial custodial sentence is necessary to deter other private clients from attempting to corrupt law-enforcement officers by paying them to perform acts they could never lawfully accomplish themselves,” Assistant U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
The Brains, who live in Swansea, south Wales, are paying £50 a month into each of their kids' accounts.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
“Let’s see how closely you’ve been paying attention.”
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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.
