payable

adjective

pay·​able ˈpā-ə-bəl 

1

: that may, can, or must be paid

2

: profitable

Synonyms of payable

• unpaid
• outstanding

Examples of payable in a Sentence

She charges her patients $3,000, payable in installments.

keep the bills payable separate from the receipts

Recent Examples on the Web

Notably, benefits would still be payable, as the program would have money coming in from payroll taxes. —Lorie Konish, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2026

Suárez gets a $3 million signing bonus, payable within 30 days of the deal's approval by Major League Baseball, and salaries of $7 million this year, $15 million in 2027, $30 million in each of the following two seasons and $35 million in 2030. —CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026

Nonprobate assets are usually life insurance, retirement accounts, payable-on-death accounts, transfer on death accounts, joint property with rights of survivorship, annuities and assets in certain trusts. —Virginia Hammerle, Dallas Morning News, 18 Jan. 2026

The help comes in the form of a deferred zero-interest loan that’s payable upon resale or after 99 years, whichever comes first. —Miami Herald, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing payable

• account payable

Rhymes for payable

• playable
• repayable

Kids Definition

payable

adjective

pay·​able ˈpā-ə-bəl 

: that may, can, or must be paid

accounts payable

Legal Definition

payable

adjective

pay·​able

: that may, can, or must be paid