paid

American  

[peyd] / peɪd /

verb

1. a simple past tense and past participle of pay.

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paid British  

/ peɪd /

verb

1. the past tense and past participle of pay 1

2. to end or destroy

   breaking his leg put paid to his hopes of running in the Olympics

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paid Idioms  

1. see under pay.

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Other Word Forms

• nonpaid
  adjective
• self-paid
  adjective
• unpaid
  adjective
• well-paid
  adjective

Explanation

Something that's paid is done in exchange for money, or happens while you're receiving pay. For example, your job might offer paid vacation, when you get your usual pay but don't have to work. Paid work is anything you do for pay, whether it's babysitting your cousin for ten dollars, or a job at a law firm that provides a weekly paycheck. When people are described as paid, it clarifies the fact that they're working for money — like a paid FBI informant, or a paid companion for an elderly man. Paid comes from the verb pay, which meant "pacify or please" long before it came to mean "give what is due."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paid

More than half its budget is paid for with a $300,000 grant from the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Whilst the remainder of this refund will be paid out in the third quarter, the company is still facing the customs duties most recently imposed by the US president.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

John Banyard arranged for a cremation and funeral for his 77-year-old friend John Carlill, the £970 cost of which was paid for from the estate.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

But because neither those funds nor the paid care workers are available to take the place of family members, the system will continue to rely on families.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

Of course, he’d taken Mrs. Kuen’s advice and paid the Blythes.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• compensated
• salaried