payment

noun

pay·​ment ˈpā-mənt 

1

: the act of paying

2

: something that is paid : pay

3

: requital

Synonyms of payment

• paying

Examples of payment in a Sentence

Payment is due on the first of every month.

Prompt payment of your bill ensures that you will not have to pay any additional fees.

We require payment in advance for all goods purchased.

a payment plan to reduce your debt

cash, credit cards, and other methods of payment

Our records show that we received a payment of $215.36 in May.

Buy this product for three easy payments of only $19.95!

It took me five years to pay off the car, but I never missed a payment.

making payments on a loan

The credit card company just increased the penalty on late payments.

Recent Examples on the Web

Just last week, Oakland fintech Block, the parent of Cash App and payment services company Square, cut more than 4,000 workers citing AI. —Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026

The second round of March Social Security payments for retirees, now capped at $5,108, will be issued in five days. —Asher Notheis, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026

Data centers have already been targeted, causing banking, payments, enterprise and consumer services to experience outages. —Nur Hikmah Md Ali, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026

Last month, the city launched a housing program geared toward helping people afford the costs of getting into a stable home like rental assistance, security deposits and utility payments. —Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 12 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing payment

• balloon payment
• co-payment
• down payment
• in payment
• on payment of
• stop payment
• transfer payment

Rhymes for payment

• claimant
• copayment
• embayment
• nonpayment
• prepayment
• repayment
• overpayment
• underpayment

Kids Definition

payment

noun

pay·​ment ˈpā-mənt 

1

: the act of paying

2

: money given to pay a debt

3

: pay entry 2 sense 2