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.
Unpaid interest from borrowers’ balances will be waived if their monthly minimum payments aren’t high enough to cover it.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026
Unpaid care by family caregivers amounts to the equivalent of about $100 billion, according to the National Institutes of Health.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 4, 2026
A death spiral ultimately did it in: Unpaid suppliers cut shipments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
Unpaid carers and health and social care staff are also eligible as the vaccine helps prevent transmission of the virus to those they are caring for.
From BBC • Nov. 12, 2025
Unpaid services rendered by men like Plank were impossible; any obligation to Plank was utterly out of the question.
From The Fighting Chance by Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William)
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.
