pay
/peɪ/ verb, noun, adjective, proper noun
Forms pays paying paid payed payest paidest paidst payedst payeth
- verb (ambitransitive) To give money or other compensation to in exchange for goods or services. “pay cash or pay in cash, pay by credit/debit card”
- verb (intransitive or transitive) To deposit into an account. “I pay a portion of each paycheck into a savings account.”
- verb (ambitransitive) To discharge, as a debt or other obligation, by giving or doing what is due or required. “to pay compensation, to pay a fine”
- verb (intransitive or transitive) To be profitable; to be worth it. “It didn't pay him to keep the store open any more.”
- verb (intransitive) To cover, as a cost. “Those investments paid for her college education.”
- verb (transitive) To yield as a benefit. “to pay dividends; to pay interest”
- verb (transitive) To give (something else than money). “to pay attention, to pay tribute, to pay a visit”
- verb (intransitive) To suffer consequences, especially justly. “He paid for his fun in the sun with a terrible sunburn.”
- noun Money given in return for work; salary or wages. “Many employers have rules designed to keep employees from comparing their pays.”
- noun (countable, rare) A paying job; a paying concern.
- adjective Operable or accessible on deposit of coins. “pay toilet”
- adjective Pertaining to or requiring payment. “pay television”
- verb (nautical, transitive) To cover (the bottom of a vessel, a seam, a spar, etc.) with tar or pitch, or a waterproof composition of tallow, resin, etc.; to smear.
- proper noun A diminutive of the unisex given name Payton.
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
pay off repay pay out yield return ante up cough up defray do the needful expend foot the bill fork out fork over imburse lay out pay the freight pay the piper pay the price pay up pony up wage earnings remuneration salary give bear make up compensate devote
Antonyms
buy earn default levant repudiate steal welsh discharge waive
Etymology
From Middle English payen, from Old French paiier (“pay”), from Medieval Latin pācāre (“to settle, satisfy”) from Latin pācāre (“to pacify”). In this sense, displaced native Old English ġield (“pay”) and ġieldan (“to pay”), whence Modern English yield.
From Old French peier, from Latin picāre (“to cover with pitch”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To cover, as bottom of a vessel, a seam, a spar, etc., with tar or pitch, or waterproof composition of tallow, resin, etc.; to smear.
- verb To satisfy, or content; specifically, to satisfy (another person) for service rendered, property delivered, etc.; to discharge one's obligation to; to make due return to; to compensate; to remunerate; to recompense; to requite; as, to pay workmen or servants.
- verb Hence, figuratively: To compensate justly; to requite according to merit; to reward; to punish; to retort or retaliate upon.
- verb To give a recompense; to make payment, requital, or satisfaction; to discharge a debt.
Etymology [OF. peier, fr. L. picare to pitch, i pitch: cf. OF. peiz pitch, F. poix. See Pitch a black substance.]
Etymology [OE. paien, F. payer, fr. L. pacare to pacify, appease, fr. pax, pacis, peace. See Peace.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “pay”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details