buy

1 of 2

verb

ˈbī 

bought 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 sense 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.

see also:

buy into buy it buy time

buy

2 of 2

noun

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 buy entry 1 sense 1) : purchase

an undercover drug buy

Synonyms of buy

Verb

• purchase

Noun

• steal
• bargain
• deal

Examples of buy in a Sentence

Verb

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.

Noun

four cartons of ice cream for four dollars is a real buy

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In December, the company bought key assets from AI chip startup Groq for about $20 billion. —Jordan Novet, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026

City officials say the long-term leases make buying Liberty Station a poor investment for any potential buyer other than Seligman. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026

Noun

Not soapy, not silly, not like something ripped out of an airport book buy. —Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 11 Mar. 2026

HanTrip 16-inch Underseat Carry-on Now on sale, the HanTrip 16-inch Underseat Carry-on Luggage looks like an over-$100 buy, but its sale price is only $90. —Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

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

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing buy

• bring-and-buy sale
• buy a pup
• buy-down
• buy-in
• buy into
• buy it
• buy off
• buy one's way
• buy out
• buy the farm
• buy time
• buy up
• impulse buy/purchase
• option to buy

Rhymes for buy

• ai
• aye
• bae
• bi
• by
• bye
• chai
• chi
• cry
• die
• dry
• dye

Kids Definition

buy

1 of 2 verb

ˈbī 

bought ˈbȯt  ; buying

1

: to get by paying money for : purchase

2

: to gain control over by bribery

buy votes

3

: believe sense 3

I don't buy that nonsense

buyer

ˈbī(-ə)r 

noun

buy

2 of 2 noun

: bargain entry 1 sense 2