paid

American  

[payd] / 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

"I don't take the subway anymore to the big games," he confessed to reporters, but recalled riding the train regularly while growing up -- noting he always paid his fare.

From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2026

"Since April this year, I've paid off in the region of £450 and I've accrued over £500 in interest," says Charlotte, a physiotherapist in Bristol.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

However, previous research has often paid less attention to how different immune cell populations change over time as diabetic wounds progress through different stages of healing.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

Alejandra said she is convinced her brother would still be alive if jail authorities had paid closer attention.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

The Payable To space beside the sum was blank, but I knew it had been paid to the Blythes.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• compensated
• salaried