prepay
Americanverb (used with object)
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
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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.
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
Goldman Sachs, for example, brought a California Community Choice prepay to market with Pacific Life Insurance as the funding recipient.
From Barron's • Oct. 20, 2025
It costs just $10 per night, a fee campers prepay at the La Jolla/Ray Miller parking area.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025
It is a common practice, in writing to another person on your own business, to enclose a postage stamp to prepay the letter in reply.
From Cheap Postage by Leavitt, Joshua
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.
