buy off

verb

bought off; buying off; buys off

transitive verb

1
: to induce to refrain (as from prosecution) by a payment or other consideration
2
: to free (as from military service) by payment

Examples of buy off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And people with trucks from South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, full of fresh produce, would come park on the avenues on weekends, and people would buy off these trucks. Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Oct. 2024 According to this logic, some senior Revolutionary Guards officials are so invested in making money that they have been bought off by Israeli officials, offering them the coordinates of valuable targets and generally constraining Tehran’s response. Saeid Golkar, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024 Additionally, Morrell benefited from a Pasadena house that the company bought off him for $4.5 million on his way out. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 18 June 2024 The country’s news outlets have been largely bought off or bullied into silence. Mark Landler, New York Times, 6 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for buy off 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buy off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of buy off was in 1614

Dictionary Entries Near buy off

Cite this Entry

“Buy off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buy%20off. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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