pay the freight
idiom
: to pay the amount of money required for carrying goods
The buyer paid the full freight.
—sometimes used figuratively in U.S. Englishparents struggling to pay the freight for their children's college education
He warns that taxpayers will end up paying the freight for the new stadium.
Examples of pay the freight in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Billionaire team owners, with few exceptions, don’t usually pay the freight of building their palaces alone.
—
David Aldridge, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Or, more accurately, the people who pay the freight for Auburn athletics got bored with a program that wasn’t as good as Alabama or Georgia and was perhaps about to be dislodged in the pecking order by Texas A&M.
—Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2020
There are people that are attending that school that are working two jobs to pay the freight.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 2 May 2022
The only consolation, if there is any, is that the Browns aren’t the only ones who have to pay the freight on this.
—Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2022
The pox of this Twins season, of poor play and poor access, was joined on Saturday afternoon with a total disregard for fans willing to make the effort and pay the freight to be at the ballpark.
—Star Tribune, 28 June 2021
While Waddle’s Year 1 seems a bit high, its important to understand teams pay the freight of a draftees contract in the signing bonus, making the young player more affordable in the seasons that follow.
—Omar Kelly, sun-sentinel.com, 23 May 2021
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David Aldridge, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Or, more accurately, the people who pay the freight for Auburn athletics got bored with a program that wasn’t as good as Alabama or Georgia and was perhaps about to be dislodged in the pecking order by Texas A&M.
—Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2020
There are people that are attending that school that are working two jobs to pay the freight.
—Laura Johnston, cleveland, 2 May 2022
The only consolation, if there is any, is that the Browns aren’t the only ones who have to pay the freight on this.
—Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2022
The pox of this Twins season, of poor play and poor access, was joined on Saturday afternoon with a total disregard for fans willing to make the effort and pay the freight to be at the ballpark.
—Star Tribune, 28 June 2021
While Waddle’s Year 1 seems a bit high, its important to understand teams pay the freight of a draftees contract in the signing bonus, making the young player more affordable in the seasons that follow.
—Omar Kelly, sun-sentinel.com, 23 May 2021
Cite this Entry
“Pay the freight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pay%20the%20freight. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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