price
noun
the sum or amount of money or its equivalent for which anything is bought, sold, or offered for sale.
price
1 American
[prahys]
/ praɪs /
noun
-
prices
plural
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the sum or amount of money or its equivalent for which anything is bought, sold, or offered for sale.
-
a sum offered for the capture of a person alive or dead.
The authorities put a price on his head.
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the sum of money, or other consideration, for which a person's support, consent, etc., may be obtained, especially in cases involving sacrifice of integrity.
They claimed that every politician has a price.
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that which must be given, done, or undergone in order to obtain a thing.
He gained the victory, but at a heavy price.
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odds.
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Archaic. value or worth.
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Archaic. great value or worth (usually preceded byof ).
verb (used with object)
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prices,
present (3rd person singular)
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priced,
past participle, past
-
pricing
present participle
-
to fix the price of.
-
to ask or determine the price of.
We spent the day pricing furniture at various stores.
idioms
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at any price, at any cost, no matter how great.
Their orders were to capture the town at any price.
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beyond / without price, of incalculable value; priceless.
The crown jewels are beyond price.
Price
2
American
[prahys]
/ praɪs /
noun
-
Bruce, 1845–1903, U.S. architect.
-
(Edward) Reynolds, 1933–2011, U.S. novelist.
-
(Mary) Leontyne born 1927, U.S. soprano.
-
a male given name.
price
British
/ praɪs /
noun
-
the sum in money or goods for which anything is or may be bought or sold
-
the cost at which anything is obtained
-
the cost of bribing a person
-
a sum of money offered or given as a reward for a capture or killing
-
value or worth, esp high worth
-
gambling another word for odds
-
whatever the price or cost
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at a high price
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invaluable or priceless
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what someone deserves, esp a fitting punishment
it's just the price of him
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what are the chances of something happening now?
verb
-
to fix or establish the price of
-
to ascertain or discover the price of
-
to charge so highly for as to prevent the sale, hire, etc, of
price
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
Price, charge, cost, expense refer to outlay or expenditure required in buying or maintaining something. Price is used mainly of single, concrete objects offered for sale; charge, of services: What is the price of that coat? There is a small charge for mailing packages. Cost is mainly a purely objective term, often used in financial calculations: The cost of building a new annex was estimated at $10,000. Expense suggests cost plus incidental expenditure: The expense of the journey was more than the contemplated cost. Only charge is not used figuratively. Price, cost, and sometimes expense may be used to refer to the expenditure of mental energy, what one “pays” in anxiety, suffering, etc.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
pricesimple
-
pricessimple
-
have pricedperfect
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has pricedperfect
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am pricingprogressive
-
are pricingprogressive
-
is pricingprogressive
-
have been pricingperfect progressive
-
has been pricingperfect progressive
Past
-
pricedsimple
-
had pricedperfect
-
was pricingprogressive
-
were pricingprogressive
-
had been pricingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of price
First recorded in 1175–1225; (noun) Middle English pris(e), from Old French, Latin pretium “price, value, worth” ( cf. precious); (verb) late Middle English prisen, from Middle French prisier, derivative of pris, Old French as above; see prize 2, praise
Explanation
The price of something is how much it costs. It’s usually money, but sometimes not. For example, the price of staying up all night is that you’re really sleepy the next day. Wake up! You can use the noun price to mean the money exchanged for an item or service — or use it figuratively, to mean "something negative that's required in exchange for something positive." If you hear the phrase "a small price to pay," think of this figurative meaning. You could say, for example, that having clouds of pet hair all over your house is a small price to pay for your wonderful cat.
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:
The price of its goods range from a few hundred dollars for a simple ring, to $10 million or higher for a custom necklace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
On July 29, the group saw its share price plunge by as much as 11 percent during the session on the day it released its half-year results.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
The “slop bowl” became internet shorthand for the familiar fast-casual mash-up — grains, greens, globally inspired protein, sauce, perhaps an avocado surcharge — assembled with the logic of a cafeteria line and an over-$10 price.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
Look at what others are selling tickets for on StubHub and match that price, he suggests.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
They wore suits in Vegas, which told you half of what you needed to know about them—the other half you got from the price of those suits.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Mutual-fund company T. Rowe Price lists special equity awards among pay practices that it considers outdated or at risk of divorcing executives’ interests from those of shareholders in its proxy voting guidelines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
He will play Gerwyn Price in the semis after the Welshman's superb 3-2 comeback success against his compatriot Jonny Clayton, who spurned a two-set lead and match darts in a thrilling tie.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
"We just can't physically afford the fuel prices, we're looking an extra £250 a week per vehicle," Price said.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
In addition to Price, Ugarte has been endorsed by the L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
If anyone asks, she says, “Nathan Price was all the marriage I needed.”
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Fuel surcharges protect some carriers from price shocks by ensuring that shippers pay more when fuel prices rise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Among ordinary Russians, Kasyanov said he saw "no grounds for a revolt", despite mounting war casualties and rising food prices.
From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026
House prices have risen by 12.2% in the past year, according to figures for the second quarter of 2026 from national statistics institute INE.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
A “majority” of ticket prices for concerts decrease after you buy them, says Keith Pagello, founder of ticket-tracking platform TicketData.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
Astonishingly, the prices of subprime mortgage bonds were rising.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
A “modest” rise in the bank tax in this month’s budget has been priced, JPM says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
"Everybody is currently priced to be a winner," he added, but warned that "you look back at the past, not everybody is a winner".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
CME's FedWatch tool put the chances of an increase at less than 40 percent, having priced it at more than 65 percent earlier in the week.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Since gold is priced in U.S. dollars, a rising buck would make the metal less attractive to foreign investors.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
I won’t say the Georgia Mountain had food I would travel for, even within Hiawassee, but it was certainly reasonably priced.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
“This era is over, but it’s hard to acknowledge from a pricing perspective.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
“These pricing adjustments are one step in a broader effort we are taking to responsibly address those pressures and support Metrolink’s long-term financial sustainability.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
“December remains the most likely date for the next move. We continue to believe market pricing for additional action is too aggressive,” they said in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Last year, Conagra said it held pricing steady for its frozen foods and snacks, in an effort to sell more items.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
The Exchanges, with their system of tokens as currency, had given us a keen eye for pricing up anything we produced.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
