pay for
Britishverb
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to make payment (of) for
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(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
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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]
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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.
As a part of the suit, British Columbia wants OpenAI to pay for the construction of a new school in Tumbler Ridge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Policyholders would be on the hook to pay for anything above $500 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
This fluctuation is due in part to Bitcoin having no intrinsic value: Like gold, it is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
Not only is the building within a flood zone, but many residents weren’t paying their HOA fees, leaving the HOA underfunded and potentially unable to pay for structural repairs if there was an emergency.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Spiritualists, possibly also Leah and Daniel Underhill, offered to pay for both sisters to stay at a well-known residential rehab facility run by Dr. George Taylor and his wife, Sarah.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
