noun
-
the act of paying
-
a sum of money paid
-
something given in return; punishment or reward
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of payment
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, variant of paiement, from Middle French; equivalent to pay 1 + -ment
Explanation
Payment is the process of either giving money to someone, or of receiving money from someone. If you borrow money to buy a car, you'll be expected to make a monthly payment for several years. Your paycheck itself is a payment, and so is the act of your boss handing you that paycheck. There are also types of payment that don't involve money, like when your payment for watching your little cousin one afternoon consists of a big piece of your uncle's famous apple pie. Payment, from the verb pay, is rooted in the Latin pacare, used to mean "satisfy a creditor," but originally defined as "please, satisfy, or make peaceful."
Vocabulary lists containing payment
"...And Although the Little Mermaid Sacrificed Everything..."
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Century 21 Accounting, 9e, Chapters 8-10
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
See Examples For:
The company also provides consumers with a Buy Now, Pay Later service so they can split the payment for items they buy over a longer period of time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
The supervisor sided with the adviser and ordered the loan done at the lower down payment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
"The payment for the job," Natland fired back.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
On Monday's sentencing it was heard he had failed to do so apart from a single payment of £1,232 in May 2025.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Yes, I understand. I’ll get the payment to you as soon as I can.”
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
Founded in 1998, PayPal was a digital payments pioneer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Today, the digital payments space is highly competitive, with major tech companies such as Apple and Google enticing customers to use their payment services for online purchases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
In the quarter, payments volume and processed transactions both rose 10% from the year-ago period, while cross-border volumes increased 13%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The person listed on this form will receive life-insurance payments after the servicemember dies.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
No money down, interest payments deferred upon request.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
