paid
Americanverb
verb
-
the past tense and past participle of pay 1
-
to end or destroy
breaking his leg put paid to his hopes of running in the Olympics
Other Word Forms
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was also reported that Parton had anonymously paid for the band uniforms for a number of Tennessee high schools for years.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Compliance would be policed for 10 years by an independent auditor chosen jointly by Meta and the states, and paid for by the company.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Once students have paid for admission, many amenities—dining, recreation facilities, tutoring and other services are included.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
The group's lawyers had written to the attorney general and home affairs ministry, stating that they had pleaded guilty to immigration-related offences and had paid fines imposed by the courts, the news site reported.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Or is there a bill we haven’t paid?
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
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.
