paid
ˈpād 
also in sense 7 payed; paying
also in sense 7 payed; paying
1
a
: to make due return to for services rendered or property delivered
paid the pizza deliverer
b
: to engage for money : hire
You couldn't pay me to do that.
paid a teenager to mow his lawn
2
a
: to give in return for goods or service
pay wages
b
: to discharge indebtedness for : settle
pay a bill
c
: to make a disposal or transfer of (money)
paid a few dollars weekly into a savings account
3
: to give or forfeit in expiation or retribution
pay the penalty
4
a
: to make compensation (see compensation sense 2) for
His trouble was well paid in the end.
b
: to requite according to what is deserved
pay them back
5
: to give, offer, or make freely or as fitting
pay attention
pay your respects
6
a
: to return value or profit to
it pays you to stay open
b
: to bring in as a return
an investment paying five percent
7
: to slacken (something, such as a rope) and allow to run out
—used with out
paid out the rope as it jerked taut
1
: to discharge a debt or obligation
I'll pay when I have the money.
2
: to be worth the expense or effort
crime doesn't pay
3
: to suffer the consequences of an act
He paid for his crime.
1
: something paid for a purpose and especially as a salary or wage : remuneration
2
a
: the act or fact of paying or being paid
b
: the status of being paid by an employer : employ
3
: a person viewed with respect to reliability or promptness in paying debts or bills
4
a
: ore or a natural deposit that yields metal and especially gold in profitable amounts
b
: an oil-yielding stratum or zone
1
: containing or leading to something precious or valuable
2
: equipped with a coin slot for receiving a fee for use
a pay telephone
3
: requiring payment
Synonyms
Examples of pay in a Sentence
Noun
He has been suspended without pay pending the results of the investigation.
Each pay period begins on the first of the month.
Workers received a $4,000 pay increase.
I took a significant pay cut when I took this job, but I think it was worth it.
Recent Examples on the Web
William Earl, Variety, 20 Apr. 2024
As a result, the agency failed to pay 19 employees on April 15, said Sulton.
—Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024
In January 2023, a New York state court ordered the Trump Organization to pay fines totaling 1.6 million in a tax fraud case.
—Walter Ray Watson, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
The laws also empower women to seek higher paying roles, helping to end a long cycle of inequality.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 19 Apr. 2024
The business even pays an in-store ode to its TikTok following.
—Angie Orellana Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The administration has conditioned federal money on companies paying relatively high wages or providing child care for workers.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Before the pandemic, 98% of other occupations paid more than childcare workers earn, and as hiring boomed in retail and other sectors, 100,000 workers left the industry between 2020 and 2022.
—Katherine Goldstein, TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
Importantly, Medicaid pays for 42% of all births in the U.S. but covers access to donor milk in just 17 states.
—Sionika Thayagabalu and Dominick Lemas, STAT, 18 Apr. 2024
Chloe Berger, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
Drivers for the two services have long asked for greater regulation of the rideshare industry in order to secure more protections and higher pay.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
Beckham, understandably, isn’t jumping at an enormous pay cut after making $15 million last season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Average hourly pay rose 12 cents to $34.69, pushing down the yearly increase from 4.3% to 4.1%.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Lower-wage earners, for their part, are experiencing a job market less hot than a couple of years ago, when switching jobs in search of better pay and benefits frequently garnered double-digit percent raises.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Dutifully filing reports to his uncommunicative and far-off superiors, Pascali regards his pay as proof that his work is imperative.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Rebel Wilson details how Hollywood’s pay scales can increase exponentially in her new memoir, Rebel Rising.
—Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024
But some states are passing new pay policies to incentivize them to stay.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
Benjamin Ryan, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2023
In August, the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, the Diabetes Leadership Council, and the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition filed a lawsuit challenging the federal rule that allows co-pay accumulators.
—Katie Wedell, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2022
The hope is that CNN+ will serve as a gateway to a post-pay TV world, connecting the brand’s familiar red and white letters to a generation of viewers who are growing up without cable.
—Stephen Battaglio Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2022
The drug is so expensive at the wholesale level that private insurers place it in the highest co-pay categories; some won’t allow doctors to prescribe it without their prior approval, further narrowing patients’ access.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2022
More than 775 people have already signed up for the company's pre-pay membership, Precompose.
—Eileen Finan, PEOPLE.com, 17 June 2021
Or an expansion of co-pay coupons to Medicare, where they’re now banned?
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 16 Oct. 2020
Verb
The deal also includes paid parental leave benefits, artificial intelligence provisions, and an improved residual in streaming.
—William Earl, Variety, 20 Apr. 2024
As a result, the agency failed to pay 19 employees on April 15, said Sulton.
—Gina Lee Castro, Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2024
In January 2023, a New York state court ordered the Trump Organization to pay fines totaling 1.6 million in a tax fraud case.
—Walter Ray Watson, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
The laws also empower women to seek higher paying roles, helping to end a long cycle of inequality.
—Jasmine Browley, Essence, 19 Apr. 2024
The business even pays an in-store ode to its TikTok following.
—Angie Orellana Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The administration has conditioned federal money on companies paying relatively high wages or providing child care for workers.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
Before the pandemic, 98% of other occupations paid more than childcare workers earn, and as hiring boomed in retail and other sectors, 100,000 workers left the industry between 2020 and 2022.
—Katherine Goldstein, TIME, 18 Apr. 2024
Importantly, Medicaid pays for 42% of all births in the U.S. but covers access to donor milk in just 17 states.
—Sionika Thayagabalu and Dominick Lemas, STAT, 18 Apr. 2024
Noun
But many Gen Zers aren’t giving up on their beliefs, finding a way to solve for what is often at odds in the modern economy: mission-alignment and good pay.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024
Drivers for the two services have long asked for greater regulation of the rideshare industry in order to secure more protections and higher pay.
—Melvin Backman, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
Beckham, understandably, isn’t jumping at an enormous pay cut after making $15 million last season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Average hourly pay rose 12 cents to $34.69, pushing down the yearly increase from 4.3% to 4.1%.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
Lower-wage earners, for their part, are experiencing a job market less hot than a couple of years ago, when switching jobs in search of better pay and benefits frequently garnered double-digit percent raises.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Dutifully filing reports to his uncommunicative and far-off superiors, Pascali regards his pay as proof that his work is imperative.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
Rebel Wilson details how Hollywood’s pay scales can increase exponentially in her new memoir, Rebel Rising.
—Zoe G Phillips, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024
But some states are passing new pay policies to incentivize them to stay.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 Mar. 2024
Adjective
According to the American Diabetes Association, 22 states and Washington D.C. have imposed insulin co-pay caps ranging from $25 to $100 for 30-day supplies, which some would like to expand nationwide.
—Benjamin Ryan, New York Times, 18 Jan. 2023
In August, the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, the Diabetes Leadership Council, and the Diabetes Patient Advocacy Coalition filed a lawsuit challenging the federal rule that allows co-pay accumulators.
—Katie Wedell, USA TODAY, 1 Nov. 2022
The hope is that CNN+ will serve as a gateway to a post-pay TV world, connecting the brand’s familiar red and white letters to a generation of viewers who are growing up without cable.
—Stephen Battaglio Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2022
The drug is so expensive at the wholesale level that private insurers place it in the highest co-pay categories; some won’t allow doctors to prescribe it without their prior approval, further narrowing patients’ access.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2022
More than 775 people have already signed up for the company's pre-pay membership, Precompose.
—Eileen Finan, PEOPLE.com, 17 June 2021
Or an expansion of co-pay coupons to Medicare, where they’re now banned?
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 16 Oct. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pay
Cite this Entry
“Pay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pay. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pay
1 of 3 verb
paid
ˈpād
also in sense 6 payed; paying
also in sense 6 payed; paying
1
: to give (as money) in return for services received or for something bought
pay the taxi driver
pay for a ticket
2
: to give what is owed
pay a tax
3
: to get even with
pay someone back for an insult
4
: to give or offer freely
pay a compliment
pay attention
5
a
: to return value or profit to
it pays to drive carefully
b
: to give as a return
a bank account paying eight percent
6
: to make slack and allow to run out
pay out a rope
payer
noun
ˈpā-ər
also payor
ˈpā-ər,
pā-ˈȯ(ə)r
pay
2 of 3 noun1
a
: the act of paying
b
: the state of being paid or employed for money
2
: something paid
especially
: wage entry 2, salary
pay
3 of 3 adjective1
: containing or leading to something valuable
2
: having a coin slot for receiving money for use
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