paying 1 of 3

paying

2 of 3

noun

as in payment
the act of offering money in exchange for goods or services the actual shopping was quick, but with the long lines, paying for the stuff seemed to take forever

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

paying

3 of 3

verb

present participle of pay
1
as in compensating
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
4
as in giving
to produce as revenue an investment paying six percent

Synonyms & Similar Words

5

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 paying
Adjective
The feature arrives weeks after Google started reducing the default storage for non-paying accounts from 15GB to just 5GB in some regions. Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 3 June 2026 All roles are open and non-paying. Staff Report, Baltimore Sun, 29 Apr. 2026 The idea is to remove non-paying riders, often who are homeless, mentally ill or taking illicit drugs, from the system. Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026 Customers will still be able to preload $35 for unlimited seven-day travel onto an OMNY card — riding free after paying for 12 trips in any seven-day period — though pre-paying is not required for the unlimited rides. Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026 Under Niccol, Starbucks has brought back its tradition of baristas doodling on cups in Sharpie pens; reinstated self-serve milk and sugar stations; cut 30% of the food and drink menu; ended its open-bathroom policy for non-paying customers; and laid off 1,100 corporate employees in February. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025 So, while a paying customer willing to spend $100 on a coin bundle will typically receive around 100 Sweeps Coins as a bonus, the non-paying customer who mails in a postcard is capped at 5 Sweeps Coins – a nominal amount. Daniel Wallach, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
The survey shows who will be doing more of the paying. Lars Daniel, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026 And many of the jobs that were created are part-time or low paying. Justin Mayo, New York Times, 12 May 2026 Is your job one of the highest paying in Kentucky? Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Mar. 2026 The inevitable capitalistic evolution of the House settlement that allowed for the paying of athletes guaranteed there would be winners and losers, and the winners are – no surprise – the signal-callers. Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026 Balanced growth, roads and other infrastructure, continuing a positive approach to economic development, attracting industry and high paying jobs. Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2025 Notably, Ditto is the best paying of the three, but doesn’t accept freelancers from California, Massachusetts and New Jersey. Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
The nonprofit didn’t report paying any compensation to a staff or board, which includes two former Newsom aides, Steve Kawa and Jim DeBoo, as well as Sacramento Kings COO Matina Kolokotronis. Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2026 Siobhan and Rekha collaborate to sort Oreos, but Grant spends this entire episode unwisely rushing into things and paying for it, mostly in humiliation. Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 16 June 2026 This year’s design is a soft, baby blue gown — paying homage to the color of the island’s original 1895 flag— embroidered with subtle motifs, including yellow taxi cabs, the Brooklyn bridge and the Puerto Rico’s national flower, the flor de maga. CNN Money, 15 June 2026 This is just one of the resort's many details paying tribute to Hawaiian culture – and with that Disney magic, of course. Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 15 June 2026 The festival has also taken advantage of several anniversaries, with sidebars paying tribute to British auteur Ken Loach on his 90th birthday and a joint retrospective marking Billy Wilder’s 120th birth anniversary alongside Marilyn Monroe’s centenary. Marcus Lim, Variety, 15 June 2026 Catering to this underserved audience is clearly paying dividends. Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 15 June 2026 At that point, a ticking fee kicks in and Paramount would be paying hundreds of millions out to WBD shareholders every subsequent month. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 15 June 2026 Raman wasn’t endorsed by any of her colleagues on the City Council, and she has been criticized by some community leaders in her district for not paying close enough attention to their concerns. Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paying
Adjective
  • Guerrero Flores and a few other inmates saw a profitable opportunity as the government neglected prisons.
    Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026
  • The platform was originally made so that influencers, musicians and other content creators could be paid by subscribers for their content; but since then turned into an extremely profitable adult entertainment hub, according to Business Insider.
    Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado June 12, Sacbee.com, 13 June 2026
Noun
  • Tax documents show program officials spent more than $1 million for things like personal mortgages, car payments and rent.
    Sooji Nam, CBS News, 17 June 2026
  • In all, Siebel Newsom earned roughly $3 million in pre-tax salary and contractor payments since 2015.
    Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 16 June 2026
Verb
  • Now, on Tuesday afternoon, the Pittsburgh City Council took the first step toward compensating the victims for their injuries.
    Lauren Linder, CBS News, 16 June 2026
  • In that context, dashboards support decision-making rather than compensating for fragmentation.
    Scott Fulton, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • Lee, 31, exclaimed, and the pair, mere moments after meeting, snapped a selfie as Gonzalez, 28, presented his Korean bulgogi beef quesadilla to the camera with a grin.
    Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
  • Bunnie, whose real name is Alisa DeFord, and Jelly Roll tied the knot in August 2016 during a whirlwind Las Vegas ceremony, after meeting the year prior.
    Lori A Bashian, FOXNews.com, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • The retailer employs a team of roughly 40 to 50 personal shoppers in Paris, who work closely with top-spending clients and serve as ambassadors for the store’s designer offering.
    Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 17 June 2026
  • The department is working to approve requests for waivers that give states more flexibility for spending federal money.
    Alia Wong, Los Angeles Times, 17 June 2026
Verb
  • The inventory risk is real, but oil bulls are giving the problem too much weight, Dwivedi argues.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 19 June 2026
  • An orphaned owl at a rescue center in New York has adopted the role of a foster parent, nursing two orphaned baby owlets and giving them parental love.
    Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • Throughout his career, the multidisciplinary artist experimented with various mediums, ranging from painting and photography to assemblages, even employing digital technologies like the iPad.
    Annabelle Dufraigne, Architectural Digest, 12 June 2026
  • Zoli’s lofty warehouse space continues Amant’s design sensibility, employing and elevating simple materials like concrete, brick, and wood, which, says Ebers, are visually warm and acoustically beneficial (a boon nowadays when having a conversation in a restaurant can be increasingly challenging).
    Fiorella Valdesolo, Vogue, 11 June 2026
Adjective
  • That would make SpaceX Alphabet's most lucrative private market bet.
    Ashley Capoot,CJ Haddad,Samantha Subin,Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 12 June 2026
  • The United Arab Emirates has become the main destination for conflict minerals from the Central African Republic, placing Dubai at the center of a lucrative trade in gold and diamonds tied to armed groups and foreign smuggling networks, according to a new investigation.
    Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 12 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Paying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paying. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.

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