buy
to acquire the possession of, or the right to, by paying or promising to pay an equivalent, especially in money; purchase.
to acquire by exchange or concession: to buy favor with flattery.
to hire or obtain the services of: The Yankees bought a new center fielder.
to bribe: Most public officials cannot be bought.
to be the monetary or purchasing equivalent of: Ten dollars buys less than it used to.
Chiefly Theology. to redeem; ransom.
Cards. to draw or be dealt (a card): He bought an ace.
Informal.
to accept or believe: I don't buy that explanation.
to be deceived by: He bought the whole story.
to be or become a purchaser.
an act or instance of buying.
something bought or to be bought; purchase: That coat was a sensible buy.
a bargain: The couch was a real buy.
buy down, to lower or reduce (the mortgage interest rate) by means of a buy-down.
buy in, : Also buy into.
to buy a supply of; accumulate a stock of.
to buy back one's own possession at an auction.
to undertake a buy-in.
buy into, to purchase a share, interest, or membership in: They tried to buy into the club but were not accepted.
buy off, to get rid of (a claim, opposition, etc.) by payment; purchase the noninterference of; bribe: The corrupt official bought off those who might expose him.
buy out, to secure all of (an owner or partner's) share or interest in an enterprise: She bought out an established pharmacist and is doing very well.
buy up, to buy as much as one can of something or as much as is offered for sale: He bought up the last of the strawberries at the fruit market.
Idioms about buy
buy it, Slang. to get killed: He bought it at Dunkirk.
Origin of buy
1synonym study For buy
Opposites for buy
Other words from buy
- buy·a·ble, adjective
- non·buy·ing, adjective, noun
- pre·buy, verb (used with object), pre·bought, pre·buy·ing.
- re·buy, verb, re·bought, re·buy·ing.
- un·buy·a·ble, adjective
- un·buy·ing, adjective
Words that may be confused with buy
Words Nearby buy
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use buy in a sentence
The craft of buying campaigns is going offshore as the platforms continue to automate the process around ad buys.
‘Chronically understaffed’: Confessions of an agency exec on the cost of online advertising’s Covid growth | Seb Joseph | February 11, 2021 | DigidayLast month Goldman Sachs had listed its stock as a good buy, in the expectation that the company will rebound this year and catch up with the other oil majors that had been faring better on the market.
Oil companies’ losses in 2020 were staggering. And that was before the government focused on climate change. | Will Englund | February 4, 2021 | Washington PostSecond, terms mentioning keywords such as “price” or “discount” are strong signals of buy intent, you should bundle them together.
Google Ads new features: Five tips for your Google Ads campaigns | Martin Romerio | February 3, 2021 | Search Engine WatchA lot of these, you know, so-called meme stocks were, you know, going viral on social media, and people were people are joining Robinhood and there was a lot of net buy activity on them.
Elon Musk busts Clubhouse limit, fans stream to YouTube, he switches to interviewing Robinhood CEO | Mike Butcher | February 1, 2021 | TechCrunchHer campaign paid $656,000 for advertising, polling, media buys and other services to a company called Neighborhood Research and Media, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
How Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, promoter of QAnon’s baseless theories, rose with support from key Republicans | Michael Kranish, Reis Thebault, Stephanie McCrummen | January 30, 2021 | Washington Post
Why would “they” want to crush him just for attempting to buy something twenty years ago?
Phylicia Rashad and the Cult of Cosby Truthers | Stereo Williams | January 8, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST“This is the only place in the souk you can buy safety pins,” he said.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech | Liza Foreman | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST“For conveniences and shops where you can buy what you need,” it is much easier, he said.
The Photographer Who Gave Up Manhattan for Marrakech | Liza Foreman | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTFor instance, Best buy has over 40 million members in its customer loyalty program, Reward Zone.
Best buy is caught up in the breakneck world of technological innovation.
If Mac had been alone he would have made the post by sundown, for the Mounted Police rode picked horses, the best money could buy.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair"buy something for your wife that-is-to-be," he said to his grand-nephew, as he handed him the folded paper.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsAlessandro had hard work to give civil answers to the men who wished to buy Benito and the wagon for quarter of their value.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonIt is very old, they say, and worth a great deal of money, if you could find the right man to buy it.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonFor us to take her place it became necessary for us to loan before we could sell and buy.
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur Phillips
British Dictionary definitions for buy
/ (baɪ) /
to acquire by paying or promising to pay a sum of money or the equivalent; purchase
to be capable of purchasing: money can't buy love
to acquire by any exchange or sacrifice: to buy time by equivocation
(intr) to act as a buyer
to bribe or corrupt; hire by or as by bribery
slang to accept as true, practical, etc
(intr foll by into) to purchase shares of (a company): we bought into General Motors
(tr) theol (esp of Christ) to ransom or redeem (a Christian or the soul of a Christian)
have bought it slang to be killed
a purchase (often in the phrases good or bad buy)
Origin of buy
1usage For buy
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
Browse