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
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are prepayingprogressive
-
is prepayingprogressive
-
have been prepayingperfect progressive
-
has been prepayingperfect progressive
Past
-
prepaidsimple
-
had prepaidperfect
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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:
Procura will prepay certain suppliers on GM’s behalf, giving them the capital required to make and store inventory set aside for the Detroit automaker.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
These can be collected when borrowers prepay their loans early by refinancing, or when a new loan is arranged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
The Internal Revenue Service treats these conversions as income because you are essentially choosing to prepay taxes on them.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 27, 2026
For example, a worker with a W-2 could sell some stock and, depending on the state, prepay the income tax on the profits.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2025
The twenty-four cents was required to prepay the single rate of postage on letters to England, and the thirty cents to prepay the single rate on letters to Germany.
From History of the Postage Stamps of the United States of America by John Kerr Tiffany
“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
That is split evenly between a private placement for Nvidia that will close alongside the IPO, and a prepaid forward contract.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
In exchange for narrower networks and stricter prior-authorization rules, enrollees can choose plans with extra benefits, such as dental and vision coverage, prepaid debit cards to buy healthy food, or transportation to the doctor.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 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
Those include grocery vouchers at Food4Less, housing vouchers for those who elect to relocate during cleanup, cash assistance through prepaid cards and support for utility bills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
They weren’t far off their daily target, but that was because they’d prepaid the hotel rooms.
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
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said previously that in addition to investing in Corning, his company is prepaying billions of dollars to make it possible for Corning to build out the capacity to deliver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 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.
