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.

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

Phrases

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

Synonyms

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

What once involved buying and assembling various records, cassettes or CDs and manually recording the music can be performed on Spotify in a couple of minutes. —Michael Cox, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025

Murphy suggests using your vintage finds as statement pieces—like a mid-century coffee table in a contemporary living room—versus buying every single item secondhand. —Shivani Vyas, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Aug. 2025

Noun

As a result, the Club raised our TJX price target to $150 apiece from $145, and reiterated a buy-equivalent 1 rating on shares. —Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 23 Aug. 2025

Nearly 90% of analysts covering Nvidia give its shares a buy-equivalent rating, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2025

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 off
• buy one's way
• buy out
• buy up
• 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