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pay

[pey]

verb (used with object)

to settle (a debt, obligation, etc.), as by transferring money or goods, or by doing something: Please pay your bill.

to give over (a certain amount of money) in exchange for something: He paid twenty dollars for the shirt.

to transfer money as compensation or recompense for work done or services rendered; to satisfy the claims of (a person, organization, etc.), as by giving money due: He paid me for my work.

to defray (cost or expense).

to give compensation for.

EXPAND

to yield a recompense or return to; be profitable to: Your training will pay you well in the future.

to yield as a return: The stock paid six percent last year.

to requite, as for good, harm, or an offense: How can I pay her for her kindness and generosity?

to give or render (attention, respects, compliments, etc.), as if due or fitting.

10.

to make (a call, visit, etc.).

11.

to suffer in retribution; undergo: You'll pay the penalty for your stubbornness!

12.

Nautical. to let (a ship) fall off to leeward.

COLLAPSE

verb (used without object)

13.

to transfer money, goods, etc., as in making a purchase or settling a debt.

14.

to discharge a debt or obligation.

15.

to yield a return, profit, or advantage; be worthwhile: It pays to be courteous.

16.

to give compensation, as for damage or loss sustained.

17.

to suffer or be punished for something: The murderer paid with his life.

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Pay is one of our favorite verbs.

So is yaff. Does it mean:

to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about.

to bark; yelp.

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

noun

18.

the act of paying or being paid; payment.

19.

wages, salary, or a stipend.

20.

a person with reference to solvency or reputation for meeting obligations: The bank regards him as good pay.

21.

paid employment: in the pay of the enemy.

22.

reward or punishment; requital.

EXPAND

23.

a rock stratum from which petroleum is obtained.

COLLAPSE

adjective

24.

requiring subscribed or monthly payment for use or service: pay television.

25.

operable or accessible on deposit of a coin or coins: a pay toilet.

26.

of or pertaining to payment.

Verb phrases

27.

pay down,

to pay (part of the total price) at the time of purchase, with the promise to pay the balance in installments: On this plan you pay only ten percent down.

to pay off or back; amortize: The company's debt is being paid down rapidly.

28.

pay for, to suffer or be punished for: to pay for one's sins.

29.

pay off,

to pay (someone) everything that is due that person, especially to do so and discharge from one's employ.

to pay (a debt) in full.

Informal. to bribe.

to retaliate upon or punish.

Nautical. to fall off to leeward.

to result in success or failure: The risk paid off handsomely.

30.

pay out,

to distribute (money, wages, etc.); disburse.

to get revenge upon for an injury; punish.

to let out (a rope) by slackening.

31.

pay up,

to pay fully.

to pay on demand: The gangsters used threats of violence to force the shopkeepers to pay up.

Idioms

32.

pay as you go,

to pay for (goods, services, etc.) at the time of purchase, as opposed to buying on credit.

to spend no more than income permits; keep out of debt.

to pay income tax by regular deductions from one's salary or wages.

33.

pay back,

to repay or return: to pay back a loan.

to retaliate against or punish: She paid us back by refusing the invitation.

to requite.

34.

pay one's

its way,

to pay one's portion of shared expenses.

to yield a return on one's investment sufficient to repay one's expenses: It will take time for the restaurant to begin paying its way.

Origin:
1150–1200; Middle English payen < Old French paier < Medieval Latin pācāre to satisfy, settle (a debt), Latin: to pacify (by force of arms). See peace

Synonyms
1. discharge, liquidate. 3. reward, reimburse, indemnify. 19. remuneration, emolument, fee, honorarium, income, allowance. Pay, wage or wages, salary, stipend are terms for amounts of money or equivalent benefits, usually given at a regular rate or at regular intervals, in return for services. Pay is the general term: His pay went up every year. Wage usually designates the pay given at an hourly, daily, or weekly rate, often for manual or semiskilled work; wages usually means the cumulative amount paid at regular intervals for such work: an hourly wage; weekly wages. Salary designates a fixed, periodic payment for regular work or services, usually computed on a monthly or yearly basis: an annual salary paid in twelve equal monthly installments. Stipend designates a periodic payment, either as a professional salary or, more commonly, as a salary in return for special services or as a grant in support of creative or scholarly work: an annual stipend for work as a consultant; a stipend to cover living expenses.

Example Sentences

How executives' pay stacks up against a company's earnings or stock market performance is rarely laid out.

The bad economy is putting the brakes on pay increases for public-university leaders.

Performance-related pay is the norm, and redundancy commonplace.

EXPAND

How executives' pay stacks up against a company's earnings or stock market performance is rarely laid out.

The bad economy is putting the brakes on pay increases for public-university leaders.

Performance-related pay is the norm, and redundancy commonplace.

See if you can figure out how many elements of this scene change as you pay close attention to an amazing illusion.

People in a bad mood have better judgment and pay more attention to details.

Neither did he pay much attention to its finely crafted cabinetry.

Extra care with watering, feeding, and controlling mites and scale will pay off in better color and greater vigor.

So how do you make money if you are offering a product that has millions of users and only a small percentage pay for.

New insurance rules force doctors to pay for the cost of their own mistakes.

Faculty pay has been battered by the deepening national.

The questions are hypothetical, and people may react differently when and if pay walls actually go up.

These holy animals are called kabbas, and many people travel great distances to pay their respects.

Places that will recycle your obsolete electronics-and they might even pay you for it.

The cost is simply shifted to researchers who pay money up front to publish.

By selectively focusing a portion of the view, the columns encourage you to pay closer attention.

But he doesn't think gamers want to pay for episodes one ch.

Apart from the unfairness, inadequate pay deters talented lawyers from seeking judicial.

Adjunct pay has been brought up, so you might want to do a search.

There is no reason for insurance to pay for basic office visits, it is better left for the things you are uncertain you will need.

If you expect equal pay for equal work, blame evolution.

The two winter respiratory illnesses may look alike, but pay attention to tell them apart.

They want to find artifacts that tell stories about what happened on that land a long time ago, and they're striking pay dirt.

Zach would pay for materials, and his parents would cover labor.

The one thing people are less likely to pay for are in-dash navigation systems.

He told the city's unions that they needed to accept less generous health benefits, fewer holidays and a pay freeze.

More students are borrowing to pay for college, and that is especially true at.

Two economists consider how much people would pay to minimise the chance of a distaster.

They come to marvel at temples built from perfectly chiseled blocks of granite and pay homage to the sun.

If this theory is correct, you would expect humans to pay more attention to eye ?orientation than other primates do.

Whatever plans they propose will be costly and it is uncertain who will be willing to pay for them.

Fill baskets you brought with as many berries as you can handle, then pay by the pound.

There are also worries about who will pay for maintenance and operational costs not covered by ticket sales.

All of which makes a recent decision about executive pay at this giant retailer downright puzzling.

The price of leadership continues to rise in higher education, particularly in terms of presidential pay at public universities.

As these women serve their time, they're not the only ones to pay a price.

In impoverished areas, kerosene soaks up scarce cash that households could use to improve farming or pay school fees.

And unless they pay attention to the fine print, they may not even know they're doing good.

Pay a visit to your local brewing supply store and they can set you up, but you might find more variety shopping online.

The owner of two hospitals limited outside pay for officials who are on biotechnology or drug companies' boards.

In many cases, families don't know the bottom-line price they will pay at a particular college until.

The inconvenience or catastrophe of a flood is the price they sometimes pay.

Television advertisers will pay immense sums of money to ensure a captive audience.

Cuba is under communist rule, and this means that they don't pay for copyrights.

In other words, the garden has to be good enough to pay its own way-or fail.

Merrill's attempt to align pay with performance did not keep executives from risking the bank's stability.

Even with the help of financial aid, less-wealthy students face a burden to pay for.

But lions need a lot of area for their survival and pay no attention to park boundaries.

So if you want more internet you pay a higher price.

Citizens take better care of things they have to pay for.

People didn't pay attention to what it meant to transport that much oil in pristine water.

Profit is good, it is a reward for providing a product people want at a price they are willing to pay.

Our appliances will pay attention to our preferences.

She heard stories of children toiling in factories to pay off their parents' unending debts.

If both write the same number, he will take that to be the true price, and he will pay each of them that amount.

Pay the toll, pick up a brochure, then corkscrew your way up the mountain.

Have them pay particular attention to how the hazards are mapped.

They are doing nothing to clear up the mess they are making, and it is others that are being asked to pay for it.

Only a few copies were in circulation and you had to pay through the nose if you wanted to own one.

Her idea was to raise money to pay for corrective surgery and medical care.

And that training them to pay attention to such expressions might help.

Americans are going to pay the price for allowing it to happen.

Never pay bar prices and then attempt to sit at a table.

The fuel savings of low-emissions cars could easily pay for batteries or fuel cells.

He spotted fossils but didn't pay much attention to them.

Ask them to pay close attention to the changes that occurred during the house's lifetime.

In order to pay their employees, they have to increase the usage costs.

The technique relies on a well-established fact that animals pay more attention to stimuli that is unusual or surprising.

Furthermore, insurers could deny people health coverage or raise the premiums they have to pay.

Pay attention to what is behind your subject before snapping the first shot.

We look for more increased taxes on gas, to help pay for long term health care costs due to pollution.

They will pay special attention to any possible side effects of the treatment.

Mothers and fathers know well that their youngsters would rather pay attention to one another than to the.

Animal is our friend, if you don't treat them friendly, you will pay for it.

Some people pay big bucks for a designer handbag or a luxury car-and the distinctive logo that goes along with them.

The two respiratory illnesses may look alike, but pay attention to tell them apart.

The fuel savings of low-emissions cars could easily pay for the added costs of batteries or fuel cells.

Everybody wants safe water but nobody wants to pay for it.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

verb (used with object), payed, pay·ing. Nautical.

to coat or cover (seams, a ship's bottom, etc.) with pitch, tar, or the like.

Origin:
1620–30; < Middle French peier, Old French < Latin picāre to smear with pitch, derivative of pix (stem pic-) pitch²

Link To pay

Collins

World English Dictionary

pay¹ (peɪ)

—vb (when intr, often foll by for) (often foll by for) , pays, paying, paid
1.	to discharge (a debt, obligation, etc) by giving or doing something: he paid his creditors
2.	to give (money) to (a person) in return for goods or services: they pay their workers well; they pay by the hour
3.	to give or afford (a person) a profit or benefit: it pays one to be honest
4.	(tr) to give or bestow (a compliment, regards, attention, etc)
5.	(tr) to make (a visit or call)
6.	to give compensation or make amends
7.	(tr) to yield a return of: the shares pay 15 per cent
8.	to give or do (something equivalent) in return; pay back: he paid for the insult with a blow
9.	(tr; past tense and past participle paid or payed) nautical to allow (a vessel) to make leeway
10.	informal (Austral) to acknowledge or accept (something) as true, just, etc
11.	pay one's way
	a. to contribute one's share of expenses
	b. to remain solvent without outside help

—n
12.	a. money given in return for work or services; a salary or wage
	b. (as modifier): a pay slip; pay claim
13.	paid employment (esp in the phrase in the pay of)
14.	(modifier) requiring the insertion of money or discs before or during use: a pay phone; a pay toilet
15.	(modifier) rich enough in minerals to be profitably mined or worked: pay gravel

[C12: from Old French payer, from Latin pācāre to appease (a creditor), from pāxpeace]

pay² (peɪ)

—vb , pays, paying, payed
	(tr) nautical to caulk (the seams of a wooden vessel) with pitch or tar

[C17: from Old French peier, from Latin picāre, from pix pitch]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

pay

c.1200, "to appease, pacify, satisfy," from O.Fr. paiier (12c.), from L. pacare "to please, pacify, satisfy" (especially a creditor), from pax (gen. pacis) "peace." Meaning "to give what is due for goods or services" arose in M.L., was attested in Eng. by early 13c.; sense of "please, pacify" died out

EXPAND

in Eng. by 1500. Sense of "suffer, endure" (a punishment, etc.) is first recorded late 14c. Payday first attested 1520s. Payphone first attested 1936.

pay

"money given for labor or services," early 14c., from pay (v.). Payment is first attested late 14c., from O.Fr. paiement, from paiier.

COLLAPSE

American Heritage

Idioms & Phrases

pay

In addition to the idioms beginning with pay, also see (pay the piper) call the tune; crime does not pay; devil to pay; hell to pay; lip service, pay; rob Peter to pay Paul; you get what you pay for.