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:
You prepay several years of giving and convert a slice of your IRA at a discount, in one move.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Procura will prepay certain suppliers on GM’s behalf, giving them capital required to make and store inventory set aside for the Detroit automaker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 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
If you think there would be funds left after she dies, then you can do things like prepay for her funeral and give gifts to family members.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 26, 2026
You are sending but one letter, you know, while I get so many hundreds of letters that to prepay postage on all the answers to them would be no small burden to me.
From The Tin Woodman of Oz A Faithful Story of the Astonishing Adventure Undertaken by the Tin Woodman, assisted by Woot the Wanderer, the Scarecrow of Oz, and Polychrome, the Rainbow's Daughter by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum
“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
For those who don’t know, the Direct Express card is a prepaid debit card on which a person’s federal benefit gets loaded each month.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 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
He said Blake used a prepaid phone card to call McLarty but was careless enough to do it from his home landline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
I want to honor her wishes regarding her burial, which she has already prepaid, but I’m concerned about the responsibilities involved with administering the estate.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Once, I used the prepaid cell phone we had bought in a market in Pátzcuaro and called my parents, even though the phone was supposed to be reserved for emergencies only.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
You’re essentially prepaying tax at a bargain rate as part of a long-term tax-reduction strategy to spare your surviving spouse, or your future self, a much bigger tax hit later.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 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
The founder of the system of prepaying postage by placing a small label on one corner of the letter was Sir Rowland Hill.
From Harper's Young People, November 25, 1879 An Illustrated Weekly by Various
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.
