buy

verb \ ˈbī \

Definition of buy

bought play \ˈbȯt\; buying

transitive verb

1 :to acquire possession, ownership, or rights to the use or services of by payment especially of money :purchase

buy a car

buying stock in the company

bought us dinner

2 a :to obtain in exchange for something often at a sacrifice

They bought peace with their freedom.

b Christianity :redeem 6

bought us with his blood

3 :bribe, hire

buy a public official

4 :to be the purchasing equivalent of

The dollar buys less today than it used to.

5 :accept, believe

I don't buy that hooey.

—often used with into

buy into a compromise

intransitive verb

:to make a purchase

Now is a good time to buy.

—

buyer

play \ˈbī(-ə)r\ noun

— buy into

:to purchase a portion of or interest in

the TV network bought into its local football team

— buy it or buy the farm

:to get killed :die

— buy time

:to delay an imminent action or decision :stall

See buy defined for English-language learners

See buy defined for kids

Examples of buy in a Sentence

I bought this hat for $10.
He bought the quilt from a local artist.
Stock prices are low, so now is a good time to buy.
He said it was a mistake, but I don't buy it.

Recent Examples of buy from the Web

A lot of the yuppies that bought the first book were looking at Trump as, perish the thought, an icon.

— richard sandomir, New York Times, "Howard Kaminsky, Publisher With a Best-Seller Sense, Dies at 77," 29 Aug. 2017
CBL & Associates bought the Sears department store building in January.

— tom daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Marcus Theatres plans BistroPlex cinema and restaurant complex for Brookfield Square," 28 Aug. 2017
Amazon is an expert in using data on past purchases and browsing to offer suggestions that might make people buy more, and could start applying that in stores as well as online.

— sacbee, "Whole Foods prices drop after Amazon takes over. Here’s what changed," 28 Aug. 2017
Emily Celarek, of Elgin, stopped by the Ace parking lot on Elgin's west side Saturday to buy shrimp for a cookout and wish two Texans a safe journey home to the Gulf coast, which was being pummeled by lingering rains after Hurricane Harvey.

— mike danahey, Elgin Courier-News, "Elgin fishmongers face uncertain return to storm-ravaged Texas," 28 Aug. 2017
What makes this effort different is that following the GOP’s failure to repeal and replace the law, Alexander now has the blessing of his party’s leadership and buy-in from the committee’s top Democrat, Senator Patty Murray of Washington State.

— russell berman, The Atlantic, "The Senate Tests a New Approach on Obamacare: Bipartisanship," 28 Aug. 2017
Listen to the new track below and buy it on iTunes here.

— harper's bazaar staff, Harper's BAZAAR, "Taylor Swift Just Released Her First Single In Years," 25 Aug. 2017
It was later bought by George Arthur Plimpton in 1922 and has been called the Plimpton 322 tablet ever since.

— sarah gibbens, National Geographic, "Ancient Tablet May Show Earliest Use of This Advanced Math," 25 Aug. 2017
So hopefully no one else will accidentally buy a Lip Kit with gasoline in it.

— kelsey stiegman, Seventeen, "Kylie Jenner Calls Out Fake Kylie Cosmetics Website Trying to "Trick" Fans," 24 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'buy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of buy

Middle English byen, from Old English bycgan; akin to Goth bugjan to buy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

buy Synonyms

Synonyms

cop [slang], pick up, purchase, take

Antonyms

disbelieve, discredit, reject

Related Words

acquire, gain, garner, get, obtain, procure, secure, win; finance, pay (for), spring (for); barter (for), deal (for), dicker (over), exchange (for), haggle (for), negotiate (about), trade (for); bargain (with), chaffer (with), horse-trade (with), palter (with); bid, offer; rebuy, repurchase

Near Antonyms

deal (in), market, merchandise (also merchandize), retail, sell, vend

Other Business Terms

amortize, caveat emptor, clearinghouse, divest, due diligence, emolument, green-collar, marque, overhead, perquisite

buy

noun

Definition of buy

1 :something of value at a favorable price; especially :bargain

It's a real buy at that price.

2 :an act of acquiring possession, ownership, or rights to the use or services of something by payment especially of money :an act of buying (see ¹buy 1) :purchase