pay 1 of 2

1
as in to compensate
to give (someone) the sum of money owed for goods or services received we need to pay the cashier and then we can leave

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to meet
to give what is owed for you ought to pay that bill before it's overdue

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4
as in to yield
to produce as revenue an investment paying six percent

Synonyms & Similar Words

5

pay

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word pay distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of pay are compensate, indemnify, recompense, reimburse, remunerate, repay, and satisfy. While all these words mean "to give money or its equivalent in return for something," pay implies the discharge of an obligation incurred.

paid their bills

When might compensate be a better fit than pay?

The words compensate and pay are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, compensate implies a making up for services rendered.

an attorney well compensated for her services

When can indemnify be used instead of pay?

Although the words indemnify and pay have much in common, indemnify implies making good a loss suffered through accident, disaster, warfare.

indemnified the families of the dead miners

When would recompense be a good substitute for pay?

The meanings of recompense and pay largely overlap; however, recompense suggests due return in amends, friendly repayment, or reward.

passengers were recompensed for the delay

When could reimburse be used to replace pay?

The synonyms reimburse and pay are sometimes interchangeable, but reimburse implies a return of money that has been spent for another's benefit.

reimbursed employees for expenses

Where would remunerate be a reasonable alternative to pay?

In some situations, the words remunerate and pay are roughly equivalent. However, remunerate clearly suggests paying for services rendered and may extend to payment that is generous or not contracted for.

promised to remunerate the searchers handsomely

When is it sensible to use repay instead of pay?

While in some cases nearly identical to pay, repay stresses paying back an equivalent in kind or amount.

repay a favor with a favor

When is satisfy a more appropriate choice than pay?

While the synonyms satisfy and pay are close in meaning, satisfy implies paying a person what is required by law.

all creditors will be satisfied in full

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pay
Verb
Pope Francis' tomb opens to visitors at Rome's St. Mary Major Basilica The tomb of Pope Francis was opened to visitors at St. Mary Major Basilica, where Catholic faithful lined up to pay their respects a day after world leaders and hundreds of thousands attended the late pontiff's funeral. Danielle Wallace, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025 In 2020, the Trump administration paid to restore a Columbus statue in Baltimore that was dumped in the harbor during protests against the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. CBS News, 27 Apr. 2025
Noun
More than a dozen former workers verified details about their own pay shown in the spreadsheet. Rob Davis, ProPublica, 25 Apr. 2025 And, post pandemic, large systems such as Kaiser Permanente, UC San Diego Health, Scripps Health and Sharp HealthCare have all increased pay significantly, competing for a smaller pool of nurses and other medical personnel after many left the profession due to burnout. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pay
Verb
  • If your core isn’t doing its job, other muscles have to try and compensate.
    Danielle Zickl, SELF, 24 Apr. 2025
  • In the early going, good starting pitching and an explosive offense have compensated for some of the bullpen issues.
    Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • In February 2024, Francis met with the trustees of the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic institution in Indiana.
    Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The Hall of Fame voting panel will meet May 20 in Charlotte and determine the Class of 2026.
    Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Consumers have been optimizing their spending for years, Thomas said, by making smart decisions to have the ability to still spend, particularly on discretionary items.
    Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Ripp is originally a linebacker but spent parts of last year playing edge.
    Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • As a collective, HQ Portfolio stocks have yielded superior returns with less risk in comparison to the benchmark index; resulting in a less turbulent experience, as evidenced in HQ Portfolio performance metrics.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Health plans improved on the other three measures, but not enough to avoid penalties, which yielded $15 million.
    Bernard J. Wolfson, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Since hiring French manager Wilfried Nancy in 2023, the Crew have been consistently pleasing to the eye.
    Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
  • The news also comes after Prince William made a questionable decision to hire his mother, Princess Diana’s divorce lawyers.
    Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 19 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • The salary cap is projected to be $154.6 million next season with the luxury tax projected as $187.9 million, the first apron projected at $195.9 million and the second apron projected at $207.8 million.
    Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 21 Apr. 2025
  • With a salary cap rising to $95.5 million for 2025-26, the Ducks enter the offseason with what CapWages estimates will be more than $39 million of cap space available for usage.
    Eric Stephens, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Virginia Housing provided the first mortgage for the project and payments are about $125,000 a month.
    Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Recipients can use an SSA calculator to figure out their payment total.
    Elaine Mallon, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • The rest of the £637m refinancing was a £112m loan from Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BofA), of which £50m has since been repaid.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
  • The quickest, but hardest, is to repay the loans in full.
    Rachel Treisman, NPR, 23 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pay. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

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