prepay
Americanverb (used with object)
-
prepays,
present (3rd person singular)
-
prepaid,
past participle, past
-
prepaying
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
prepaysimple
-
prepayssimple
-
have prepaidperfect
-
has prepaidperfect
-
am prepayingprogressive
-
are prepayingprogressive
-
is prepayingprogressive
-
have been prepayingperfect progressive
-
has been prepayingperfect progressive
Past
-
prepaidsimple
-
had prepaidperfect
-
was prepayingprogressive
-
were prepayingprogressive
-
had been prepayingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prepay
Explanation
When you cover the cost of something before you actually have it, you prepay. You'll have to prepay now for that new refrigerator — even though they won't deliver it for two months! You have to prepay for most things you purchase online or over the phone; your credit card is charged long before you can actually wear those new shoes or eat that takeout Thai food. Another way to prepay is to settle a bill early, before payment is due: "I'm going to prepay my rent through August." Pre- means "before," so whenever you pay beforehand, you prepay.
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:
They can prepay for funerals and give gifts, as long as they do so ahead of the look-back period.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
Back in recessionary 2009, sales plunged as fewer people were willing to prepay for years of vacations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
He could also prepay funeral and burial expenses or pay off a credit card.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 4, 2026
The agreement, unveiled earlier this month, allows Meta to prepay for nuclear energy that will power its data centers in the region.
From Barron's ● Jan. 21, 2026
You can prepay your excess baggage all the way from a coast point clear back to Chicago and have the right to drop your trunks off anywhere you will along the route.
From Tales of the Road by Charles N. (Charles Newman) Crewdson
“It’s a new story for them, and it is very simple to understand: Producing assets, no debt, no royalties, no prepays, no hedges, executing well, optionality, strong balance sheet,” Bond said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2025
Peter Holt prepays $66 for two checked bags on his Avianca flight from San Jose, Costa Rica, to Mexico City.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 17, 2023
In its latest promotion, AT&T is offering up to two Roku Premiere boxes for any new DirecTV Now, AT&T Unlimited Choice, or Unlimited Plus customer that prepays for two months of service.
From The Verge ● Jun. 15, 2017
Is he at Ronda?' and prepays the reply.
From Miranda of the Balcony A Story by A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodle) Mason
The unnamed customer prepaid for 90% of the capital spending required for the chips associated with the deal.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
According to Solcard, a crypto-funded prepaid payment and virtual card platform, somewhere between 560 million and 741 million people own crypto worldwide in 2026.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
This means the risk of mortgages getting prepaid either much faster or much more slowly is once again a major consideration for investors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
She found the property on Google and was making payments by getting prepaid debit cards and transferring the code by phone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
“Felix prepaid for it all, so we can’t get our money back.”He didn’t mean to blame Felix, but he knew it would shorten the lecture.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
“Be sure to outline specifics pertaining to burial or cremation and any desired music, readings or religious elements. Consider prepaying or prearranging funeral or memorial services.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026
Or would you be better off paying down your credit-card balance, prepaying your mortgage or doing some of each?
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 9, 2026
"For prepaying customers, when the money on the meter runs out and there's no means of topping up, so does the energy," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2023
Budget-conscious attendees who are less concerned about being downtown likely booked their rooms during the early bird sale, which usually involves prepaying for the stay in full.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2023
But the item that interests us particularly in this report reads:— To promote the general convenience in prepaying letters to the United Kingdom at the new rate, postage stamps of the value of 10d.
From Canada: Its Postage Stamps and Postal Stationery by Clifton Armstrong Howes
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
