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

His rise up the ranks eventually brought him into conflict with Geonyoung, a prosecutor who refused to be bought off. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Aug. 2026

Requirements are the key element of a NASA planning document like this, the bureaucratic currency by which NASA buys off on the safety of a spacecraft, such as the amount of habitable volume the agency requires. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026

My most recent purchase is a Cleveland 7w with 23-degree loft that was a great buy off eBay. — Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026

This is the sharper version of the cynical read, that the companies are buying off the regulators. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for buy off

• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff
• playoff