to acquire the possession of, or the right to, by paying or promising to pay an equivalent, esp. in money; purchase.
2.
to acquire by exchange or concession: to buy favor with flattery.
3.
to hire or obtain the services of: The Yankees bought a new center fielder.
4.
to bribe: Most public officials cannot be bought.
5.
to be the monetary or purchasing equivalent of: Ten dollars buys less than it used to.
6.
Chiefly Theology. to redeem; ransom.
7.
Cards. to draw or be dealt (a card): He bought an ace.
8.
Informal.
a.
to accept or believe: I don't buy that explanation.
b.
to be deceived by: He bought the whole story.
–verb (used without object)
9.
to be or become a purchaser.
–noun
10.
an act or instance of buying.
11.
something bought or to be bought; purchase: That coat was a sensible buy.
12.
a bargain: The couch was a real buy.
—Verb phrases
13.
buy down, to lower or reduce (the mortgage interest rate) by means of a buy-down.
14.
buy in,
a.
to buy a supply of; accumulate a stock of.
b.
to buy back one's own possession at an auction.
c.
to undertake a buy-in.
Also, buy into.
15.
buy into, to purchase a share, interest, or membership in: They tried to buy into the club but were not accepted.
16.
buy off, to get rid of (a claim, opposition, etc.) by payment; purchase the noninterference of; bribe: The corrupt official bought off those who might expose him.
17.
buy out, to secure all of (an owner or partner's) share or interest in an enterprise: She bought out an established pharmacist and is doing very well.
18.
buy up, to buy as much as one can of something or as much as is offered for sale: He bought up the last of the strawberries at the fruit market.
—Idiom
19.
buy it, Slang. to get killed: He bought it at Dunkirk.
Origin: bef. 1000; ME byen, var. of byggen, buggen, OE bycgan; c. OS buggjan, Goth bugjan to buy, ON byggja to lend, rent
Related forms:
buy⋅a⋅ble, adjective
Synonyms: 1.Buy,purchase imply obtaining or acquiring property or goods for a price. Buy is the common and informal word, applying to any such transaction: to buy a house, vegetables at the market. Purchase is more formal and may connote buying on a larger scale, in a finer store, and the like: to purchase a year's supplies.
bought (bôt) v. Past tense and past participle of buy. See Regional Note at boughten.
buy (bī) v.
bought (bôt), buy·ing, buys
v.
tr.
To acquire in exchange for money or its equivalent; purchase. See Regional Note at boughten.
To be capable of purchasing: "Certainly there are lots of things in life that money won't buy"(Ogden Nash).
To acquire by sacrifice, exchange, or trade: wanted to buy love with gifts.
To bribe: tried to buy a judge.
Informal To accept the truth or feasibility of: The officer didn't buy my lame excuse for speeding.
v.
intr. To purchase something; act as a purchaser. n.
Something bought or for sale; a purchase.
An act of purchasing: a drug buy.
Something that is underpriced; a bargain.
To acquire a stake or interest in: bought into a risky real estate venture.
Informal To believe in, especially wholeheartedly or uncritically: couldn't buy into that brand of conservatism.
Phrasal Verb(s): buy into
To acquire a stake or interest in: bought into a risky real estate venture.
Informal To believe in, especially wholeheartedly or uncritically: couldn't buy into that brand of conservatism.
buy offTo bribe (an official, for example) in order to secure improper cooperation or gain exemption from a regulation or legal consequence. buy outTo purchase the entire stock, business rights, or interests of. buy upTo purchase all that is available of.
Idiom(s):
buy it Slang To be killed.
Idiom(s):
buy timeTo increase the time available for a specific purpose: "A moderate recovery thus buys time for Congress and the Administration to whittle the deficit"(G. David Wallace).
Idiom(s):
buy the farm Slang To die, especially suddenly or violently.
[Middle English, from Old English bycgan.] buy'a·ble adj.
[bawt] 
