buy
Americanverb (used with object)
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to acquire the possession of, or the right to, by paying or promising to pay an equivalent, especially in money; purchase.
- Antonyms:
- sell
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to acquire by exchange or concession.
to buy favor with flattery.
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to hire or obtain the services of.
The Yankees bought a new center fielder.
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to bribe.
Most public officials cannot be bought.
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to be the monetary or purchasing equivalent of.
Ten dollars buys less than it used to.
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Chiefly Theology. to redeem; ransom.
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Cards. to draw or be dealt (a card).
He bought an ace.
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Informal.
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to accept or believe.
I don't buy that explanation.
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to be deceived by.
He bought the whole story.
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verb (used without object)
noun
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an act or instance of buying.
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something bought or to be bought; purchase.
That coat was a sensible buy.
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a bargain.
The couch was a real buy.
verb phrase
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buy into to purchase a share, interest, or membership in.
They tried to buy into the club but were not accepted.
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buy down to lower or reduce (the mortgage interest rate) by means of a buy-down.
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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.
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buy in Also buy into.
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to buy a supply of; accumulate a stock of.
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to buy back one's own possession at an auction.
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to undertake a buy-in.
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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.
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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
verb
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to acquire by paying or promising to pay a sum of money or the equivalent; purchase
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to be capable of purchasing
money can't buy love
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to acquire by any exchange or sacrifice
to buy time by equivocation
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(intr) to act as a buyer
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to bribe or corrupt; hire by or as by bribery
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slang to accept as true, practical, etc
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to purchase shares of (a company)
we bought into General Motors
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(tr) theol (esp of Christ) to ransom or redeem (a Christian or the soul of a Christian)
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slang to be killed
noun
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
Related Words
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
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."
Vocabulary lists containing buy
Spelling Practice, Unit 8
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Spelling Practice, Unit 3
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Spelling Practice 1, Unit 3
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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.
Overall, 64% of analysts covering Terex rate shares Buy.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
WSJ | Buy Side: Keep your body protected from the sun with these expert-approved, water-resistant sunscreens.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026
WSJ | Buy Side: With a luxuriously soft feel, this 100% cotton robe is one of our top picks in the category.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
Buy high after an early pop and your results can suffer.
From MarketWatch • May 12, 2026
“No, wait. Buy your cat sweater and your clown thing. You wanted them. I’m sorry I’m being weird.”
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
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.
