pay down

verb

paid down; paying down; pays down

transitive verb

: to reduce (a debt) by repaying in part

Examples of pay down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s also the debt avalanche or snowball method, which builds momentum by focusing on paying down debts with the lowest interest rate or the lowest balances first. — Liz Knueven, CNBC, 10 July 2026

One amendment requires proceeds from the future sale of the city’s current police headquarters to be used to pay down the bond debt or reduce the amount the city borrows. — Miami Herald, 10 July 2026

She's also dreamed about paying down that future pool by listing it on Swimply. — Stephan Bisaha, NPR, 3 July 2026

And the war that was fought in the backcountry would serve as a catalyst for the Revolutionary War when the British king decided to help pay down war debt by taxing the colonists. — Salena Zito, Washington Post, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pay down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown