unpaid
Britishadjective
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(of a bill, debt, etc) not yet paid
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working without pay
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having wages outstanding
Explanation
If a job is unpaid, that means you do it without receiving any money in return. Your unpaid internship at the town newspaper will give you lots of experience, but no income. An unpaid worker hasn't received their paycheck yet, and an unpaid bill means you haven't sent the money you owe to the electric company or dog walker. This adjective is also useful for describing volunteer work, like an unpaid position at the local animal shelter. Unpaid was first coined in the 14th century, from un-, "not," and pay, which has a Latin root meaning "satisfy a creditor," or literally "make peace."
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.
Demonstrators in strategic industries like telecommunications and petrochemicals have carried out sit-ins over months of unpaid wages.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
China’s leaders are in the midst of a campaign to recoup hundreds of billions of dollars worth of unpaid capital-gains and income taxes owed by wealthy Chinese citizens.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
An estimated 20,000 American families still hold unpaid Chinese bonds.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026
As the season has worn on, it has called off tournaments, slashed payouts and faced claims from unpaid vendors such as Fresh Tape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Now I have nine hours instead of eight, and although one of them is an unpaid dinner hour, I have a net half an hour a day more on my feet.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
