buy

American  

[bahy] / baɪ /

verb (used with object)

• buys,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bought,
  past participle,  past
• buying
  present participle

1. to acquire the possession of, or the right to, by paying or promising to pay an equivalent, especially in money; purchase.

   Antonyms:

   sell

2. to acquire by exchange or concession.

   to buy favor with flattery.

3. to hire or obtain the services of.

   The Yankees bought a new center fielder.

4. to bribe.

   Most public officials cannot be bought.

5. to be the monetary or purchasing equivalent of.

   Ten dollars buys less than it used to.

6. Chiefly Theology. to redeem; ransom.

7. Cards. to draw or be dealt (a card).

   He bought an ace.

8. Informal.

   1. to accept or believe.

      I don't buy that explanation.

   2. to be deceived by.

      He bought the whole story.

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verb (used without object)

• buys,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bought,
  past participle,  past
• buying
  present participle

1. to be or become a purchaser.

noun

• buys
  plural

1. an act or instance of buying.

2. something bought or to be bought; purchase.

   That coat was a sensible buy.

3. a bargain.

   The couch was a real buy.

verb phrase

1. buy into to purchase a share, interest, or membership in.

   They tried to buy into the club but were not accepted.

2. buy down to lower or reduce (the mortgage interest rate) by means of a buy-down.

3. 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.

4. buy in Also buy into.

   1. to buy a supply of; accumulate a stock of.

   2. to buy back one's own possession at an auction.

   3. to undertake a buy-in.

5. 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.

6. 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

1. buy it, to get killed.

   He bought it at Dunkirk.

buy British  

/ baɪ /

verb

1. to acquire by paying or promising to pay a sum of money or the equivalent; purchase

2. to be capable of purchasing

   money can't buy love

3. to acquire by any exchange or sacrifice

   to buy time by equivocation

4. (intr) to act as a buyer

5. to bribe or corrupt; hire by or as by bribery

6. slang to accept as true, practical, etc

7. to purchase shares of (a company)

   we bought into General Motors

8. (tr) theol (esp of Christ) to ransom or redeem (a Christian or the soul of a Christian)

9. slang to be killed

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noun

1. a purchase (often in the phrases good or bad buy )

Usage

The use of off after buy as in I bought this off my neighbour was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable in informal contexts

Synonym Usage

Buy, purchase imply obtaining or acquiring property or goods for a price. Buy is the common and informal word, applying to any such transaction: to buy a house, vegetables at the market. Purchase is more formal and may connote buying on a larger scale, in a finer store, and the like: to purchase a year's supplies.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rebuy
  verb
• prebuy
  verb (used with object)
• buyable
  adjective
• nonbuying
  adjective
• unbuyable
  adjective
• unbuying
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• buys
  plural

Participles

• buying
  present
• bought
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• buy
  simple
• buys
  simple
• have bought
  perfect
• has bought
  perfect
• am buying
  progressive
• are buying
  progressive
• is buying
  progressive
• have been buying
  perfect progressive
• has been buying
  perfect progressive

Past

• bought
  simple
• had bought
  perfect
• was buying
  progressive
• were buying
  progressive
• had been buying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will buy
  simple
• will have bought
  perfect
• will be buying
  progressive
• will have been buying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of buy

First recorded before 1000; Middle English byen, variant of byggen, buggen, Old English bycgan; cognate with Old Saxon buggjan, Gothic bugjan “to buy,” Old Norse byggja “to lend, rent”

Explanation

When you buy something, you pay money in order to own or obtain it. You might buy your mom a big bouquet of flowers for her birthday. When you buy furniture, food, a car, or candy, you purchase it, exchanging a certain amount of money for it, and when you call something "a buy" or "a steal," it's a real bargain. When you say, "She said she won the lottery, but I don't buy it," you mean that you don't accept that fact as the truth. Even more colloquially, to buy it can also mean "to be killed."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

buy buys bought buying

That’s because many customers come into their South Portland, Maine, store specifically to see Daniel, and while they’re there, they buy something.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

"There are an awful lot of people, whatever sport they do, whatever teams they support, who simply can't afford to buy new," he says.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

That occurs when multiple investors start to buy an asset to cover bets against it, boosting the price further.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Their eldest son, 26-year-old Ortiz Jr., is near the end of his enlistment and was planning to buy a house in Riverside for his wife and two young children to start their next chapter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

“Aw, Grandpa,” I said, feeling sorry for myself, “how am I ever going to get enough money to buy a pony and a .22?”

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

"I'm in a very privileged position to be able to do that... Buying your way out of the system or not being in at all is in itself a luxury. It buys you freedom."

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Taking out long-term-care insurance, however, also buys you peace of mind in addition to future-proofing your medical care.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

After all, China buys roughly 90% of Iran’s oil, while a third comes from the Arab monarchies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

California no longer burns or buys electricity generated by coal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Mami buys me a white turtleneck to wear with a red jumper and a pair of sturdy saddle shoes.

From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar

This past week, SpaceX bought more wireless spectrum, bringing the company closer to forming a fourth mobile wireless company in the U.S.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

Beyond California, Dr. Phil boasts a very impressive mansion in Dallas, which he bought in 2020 after it had been listed for just under $12 million.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

What his firm is interested in: the data centers in Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina and Sweden it bought with Genesis Digital.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Calves still need to be bought and sold, and ranch operations - many multi-generational - don not pause for politics.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

Then he bought a turning plow, some seed corn, and a milk cow.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Kaiser hence recommends buying IWM call options ahead of CPI data.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Stuart Kaiser, of Citigroup, recommends buying iShares Russell 2000 exchange-traded fund call options before the consumer-price index for September is released on Wednesday.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Automatic annual adjustments to Social Security started in 1975 as a way to protect beneficiaries from losing their buying power to inflation.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

“There’s no sense in them buying a car when they could rent one for a few hundred bucks, and it’s theirs forever.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026

He promised to support mother and child, as he did, buying them a home in the Philippines, sending occasional gifts to the child, and money to Marilyn.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• acquire
• get
• market
• obtain
• procure
• purchase
• take