Paine

American  

[peyn] / peɪn /

noun

1. Albert Bigelow 1861–1937, U.S. author and editor.

2. Robert Treat 1731–1814, U.S. jurist and statesman.

3. Thomas, 1737–1809, U.S. patriot and writer on government and religion, born in England.

---

Paine British  

/ peɪn /

noun

1. Thomas. 1737–1809, American political pamphleteer, born in England. His works include the pamphlets Common Sense (1776) and Crisis (1776–83), supporting the American colonists' fight for independence; The Rights of Man (1791–92), a justification of the French Revolution; and The Age of Reason (1794–96), a defence of deism

---

Example Sentences

Founded in Philadelphia and chaired by Jack Bogle, who later founded Vanguard, Wellington merged with Boston’s Thorndike, Doran, Paine & Lewis in 1967.

From Barron's • May 1, 2026

Tuition at Paine College wasn’t easy on the family.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

Thus in 1776, even Thomas Paine, a religious skeptic, drew from the Bible to make his famous case for American Independence.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Paine, who will be working his 31st Oscars on Sunday, is part of the production team that returns to the telecast each year.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

Again, Holly Paine was right beside me, nodding like a bobblehead.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry