noun
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the act of paying
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a sum of money paid
-
something given in return; punishment or reward
Other Word Forms
- propayment adjective
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..."
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Century 21 Accounting, 9e, Chapters 8-10
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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.
The government is providing a one-off payment of £40m to establish the Queen Elizabeth Trust, which will have King Charles III as its patron.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
You might be in a better position if you cross out parts of the hospital’s consent form that require you to promise payment before you sign, and then take a picture of it.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026
However, identity theft doesn’t require submitting a claim for payment.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
For illustration, $1,900 is currently the average individual monthly Social Security payment.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026
There was a part in the book where Essa healed a bunch of sick children, and, in payment, one of the village boys had tried to join her on her quest.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
