unpaid

adjective

un·​paid ˌən-ˈpād How to pronounce unpaid (audio)
1
: not paid
an unpaid volunteer
2
: not paying a salary
an unpaid position

Examples of unpaid in a Sentence

I have a pile of unpaid bills sitting on my desk. The city is trying to collect unpaid taxes. She took three months of unpaid leave from her job. I served as an unpaid consultant on the project.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The longer the shutdown lasts, the greater the risk of cargo backups at these Texas ports due to unpaid employees calling in sick. NPR, 15 Oct. 2025 The arrest comes amid mounting legal issues tied to unpaid child support. Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 15 Oct. 2025 The failure-to-file penalty is 5% of unpaid taxes per month or partial month, up to 25%. James Powel, USA Today, 14 Oct. 2025 Ashley Joachim Tellis, an unpaid State Department senior adviser, is facing a felony charge of unlawful retention of national defense information after investigators found more than 1,000 pages of top secret or secret documents at his home Saturday in Vienna, Virginia. Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unpaid

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unpaid was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unpaid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unpaid. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

unpaid

adjective
un·​paid ˌən-ˈpād How to pronounce unpaid (audio)
1
: not paid
an unpaid volunteer
2
: not paying a salary
an unpaid position

More from Merriam-Webster on unpaid

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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