pays; paid
ˈpeɪd 
; paying
; paying
1
a
: to give money for goods or services
I already paid last week.
Where do we pay to get in?
Do we have to pay to park here?
They left the restaurant without paying.
Should I pay in dollars or pesos?
We're trying to attract more paying customers [=customers that buy things from our company] through our Web site.
paying passengers
After their children left for college, they began opening their home to paying guests. [=people who give you money to live in your house with you for a short time]
—often + forHe offered to pay for our dinner.
How will you be paying for your purchase: (in) cash, (by) check, or (with a) credit card?
"That cheap camera I bought is broken already." "Well, you get what you pay for." [=a thing that can be bought for a very low price probably isn't very good]
b
: to give money to (someone) for goods or services
I'll pay the taxi driver.
Has anyone paid her yet?
We get paid on Fridays.
The workers get paid well. = The workers are well-paid.
—often followed by to + verbThey're going to pay a crew to paint the house.
You couldn't pay me to jump out of an airplane! [=I would never jump out of an airplane, even if you gave me a lot of money]
—sometimes + in"Did he give you a check?" "No, he paid me in cash."
When he mowed her lawn, she paid him in cookies. [=she gave him cookies for mowing her lawn]
c
: to give (something, such as an amount of money) for goods or services
I paid $200 to him yesterday. = I paid him $200 yesterday.
These workers are paid extremely low wages by their employers.
She pays 15 percent (of her earnings) to her agent.
I paid a lot of money for this car.
How much are you willing to pay?
They paid over $300,000 for their house.
They paid a high price [=a lot of money] for that painting.
I couldn't afford to pay cash, so I put it on my credit card.
We paid good money [=we gave a large amount of money] to see this show, and we want our money's worth!
d
—used to say how much someone earns for doing a job
My job doesn't pay very well. [=I don't earn much money from my job]
It's difficult work that pays relatively poorly.
high-paying jobs
The job pays $150,000 a year.
2
: to give the money that you owe for (something)
I can't afford to pay my rent.
paying taxes/fines/penalties
Use the company's financing plan and pay no interest for a full year.
Has this bill been paid?
The receipt shows that their bill has been paid in full. [=all of the money they owed has been paid]
3
: to have a good or helpful result : to be worth the expense or effort to do something
Hard work always pays [=pays off] in the long run.
Crime doesn't pay. [=you get more trouble than benefit from committing a crime]
—often followed by to + verbIt pays [=it is worth the effort] to study your notes after every class.
When the roads are icy, it pays to drive slowly.
It pays to advertise.
It pays stores to be open on the weekends. [=stores benefit from being open on the weekends]
Spending a lot of money on advertising has paid dividends for our company. [=has given our company extra advantages or benefits]
Our efforts are finally paying dividends. [=we are finally getting the results we want from our efforts]
4
: to give (a percentage of money) as the profit from an investment or business
The investment paid eight percent last year.
a savings account paying four percent interest
5
a
: to deal with the bad result of something that you did : to be punished for doing something
If you offend him, he will make you pay.
—often + forI'll make you pay for what you've done to me!
You'll pay for this!
She paid dearly for her mistakes. [=she suffered a lot as a result of her mistakes]
He thinks that the people who committed these terrible crimes should pay with their lives. [=should be killed]
b
: to give, lose, or suffer (something) as a punishment for or result of something else
We all felt that 25 years in prison was a high/small price to pay for his crimes.
Note: If you pay a/the price or pay a heavy/high/steep (etc.) price or (Brit) pay the penalty for something, you experience the bad effects or results of that thing.
6
—used in various phrases that describe giving your attention to what is being done or said
Are you paying attention? [=are you listening and trying to understand?]
Remember to pay close attention to the instructions.
He's just teasing you. Don't pay any attention to him. = Pay no attention to him. [=don't be upset by what he is saying]
He kept talking but she paid him no mind. [=she didn't listen to what he said]
Pay heed to what he says. [=listen to what he says]
7
—used to describe saying or doing something that expresses respect, admiration, etc., for someone
She paid me a compliment. [=she said something nice about me]
We gather here today to pay tribute/homage to [=to honor and praise] a great woman.
: money received in exchange for work : money paid to someone for doing work
receiving higher/better/lower pay
The work is hard, but the pay is good. [=you earn a lot of money by doing the work]
She spent a week's pay [=the amount of money she earns in one week] in just one night.
He has been suspended without pay pending the results of the investigation.
"Women," she said, "should receive equal pay for equal work." [=they should be paid the same amount of money as men who perform the same job]
When he works on the weekends, he collects overtime pay. [=an increased rate of money earned for working more than the usual number of hours in one week]
The company owes her $500 in back pay. [=money that is owed to a worker from an earlier time]
severance pay [=money given to workers when a company ends their jobs]
The workers are demanding an increase in their rate of pay. = The workers are demanding an increase in their pay rate. [=the amount of money they are paid per hour, week, etc.]
Each pay period begins on the first of the month.
(US) He asked for a pay raise = (Brit) He asked for a pay rise.
Workers received a $4,000 pay increase.
I took a significant pay cut when I took this job, but I think it was worth it.
Cite this Entry
“Pay.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/pay. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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