Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

pay for

British  

verb

  1. to make payment (of) for

  2. (intr) to suffer or be punished, as for a mistake, wrong decision, etc

    in his old age he paid for the laxity of his youth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pay for Idioms  
  1. Cover the expenses of, defray the cost of, as in I'll pay for your movie ticket , or This truck will pay for itself within a year . [Mid-1300s]

  2. Atone for, suffer for, as in He may have looked like a good manager, but his successor will end up paying for his mistakes . [Late 1600s]


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.

“We have to have a lot of dogs” to pay for that, Lassiter said.

From The Wall Street Journal

The only reason they have been able to keep their house and pay for lawyers’ fees, their son’s education and her travel is robust fundraising by community members in Pennsylvania and other backers.

From The Wall Street Journal

A spokesperson for Wales Green Party said it would "improve recruitment, retention and working conditions for teachers", with increased pay for planning and preparation time that has historically been undervalued.

From BBC

"He would openly tell you he was going to sell them, but in his eyes that would pay for his tickets to watch us in London," Jagielka adds.

From BBC

He said many MPs in the Berkshire area are advocating for the rail link but there was a "debate about is who is going to pay for it".

From BBC