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:
Families already pay extraordinary sums for health coverage — by some measures, the monthly cost of employer-sponsored family health coverage now rivals the typical monthly mortgage payment.
From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026
"We will never ask you to share passwords, security codes or payment details through an unsolicited message or call."
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Experian reports that in the first quarter of 2026 the average new-car payment was up to $770 a month, on an average loan of $43,925 over 69.5 months.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
Wells Fargo achieved about 40% of its initial $60 billion lending commitment and had helped refinance about 5,100 customers—representing an average monthly payment savings of about $100—when it commissioned a racial-equity assessment in late 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
One day when I returned to her apartment, she took out an entire loaf of bread and cut off a thick slice for me as payment.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
As part of the deal, Tishman Speyer will make ground lease payments to the Cooper Union which the college wants to use to finance "a bold plan to restore full-tuition scholarships for all undergraduates".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Hassan is not the only Syrian regime official whose connection to the Tice case has seemingly afforded him financial payments or assistance for living abroad.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Utilities have traditionally appealed to investors because of their dividend payouts, but those payments can look less attractive compared to bonds when interest rates rise, said Sosnick.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026
The project has since faced delays, including disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic and sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, which complicated equipment deliveries and payments.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The borrowers were failing to make interest payments sufficient to pay off the riskiest subprime bonds.
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.
