1
as in compensates
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 meets
to give what is owed for
you ought to pay that bill before it's overdue
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in spends
to hand over or use up in payment
rock fans were willing to pay enormous sums to get into the concert
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
5
as in employs
to provide with a paying job
pay someone to mow the lawn for the summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in salaries
the money paid regularly to a person for labor or services
it's difficult to support two children on her pay
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in payments
something (as money) that is given or received in return for goods or services
we should demand pay for all the overtime we're putting in
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pays
Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
That means anyone who pays for health insurance coverage, including for plans offered through their employer, will see higher monthly premiums.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Oct. 2025
The state pays first-year teachers a base salary of $41,000, with average starting teacher pay in NC coming in at $42,542.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 3 Oct. 2025
Advocates vow to ‘continue pushing’ for better rates Idaho Power’s original proposal, filed last spring, sought to adjust what the company pays solar and other on-site generation owners for electricity exported to the grid.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 2 Oct. 2025
Both men are doing stuff that keeps them occupied, interests them on some level and pays the bills, but doesn’t consume their every waking thought.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The federal reimbursement at Miami Correctional Facility will be $291 per day per detainee, according to Indiana Department of Corrections Commissioner Lloyd Arnold, who also said that number is seven times greater than the $42 a day the state pays per prisoner in local jails.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
The Honorary César Award, which pays tribute to the career achievements of artists and filmmakers, has previously been handed out to Julia Roberts, David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, Cate Blanchett, Penelope Cruz, Robert Redford and George Clooney.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
The final montage of Meredith Kercher pays tribute to her in a way that the public really hasn’t seen.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
Dave Smith, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
Proof that staying current pays.
—Joseph Coughlin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
While his premiums are very low, his deductible and co-pays for things like prescriptions for insulin equipment run hundreds of dollars per month.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
The bill will also require people with incomes above the poverty line to pay out-of-pocket co-pays for most Medicaid services, such as lab tests or doctor visits.
—Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 4 July 2025
Verb
For the second half of the payment, once Mandel Group pays its annual taxes on the site, the city will give Mandel Group a rebate check back on 75% of the developer's taxes each year.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
That means anyone who pays for health insurance coverage, including for plans offered through their employer, will see higher monthly premiums.
—Beth Warren, Nashville Tennessean, 3 Oct. 2025
The state pays first-year teachers a base salary of $41,000, with average starting teacher pay in NC coming in at $42,542.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 3 Oct. 2025
Advocates vow to ‘continue pushing’ for better rates Idaho Power’s original proposal, filed last spring, sought to adjust what the company pays solar and other on-site generation owners for electricity exported to the grid.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 2 Oct. 2025
Both men are doing stuff that keeps them occupied, interests them on some level and pays the bills, but doesn’t consume their every waking thought.
—Nick Miller, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The federal reimbursement at Miami Correctional Facility will be $291 per day per detainee, according to Indiana Department of Corrections Commissioner Lloyd Arnold, who also said that number is seven times greater than the $42 a day the state pays per prisoner in local jails.
—Jade Jackson, IndyStar, 2 Oct. 2025
The Honorary César Award, which pays tribute to the career achievements of artists and filmmakers, has previously been handed out to Julia Roberts, David Fincher, Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, Cate Blanchett, Penelope Cruz, Robert Redford and George Clooney.
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
The final montage of Meredith Kercher pays tribute to her in a way that the public really hasn’t seen.
—Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 1 Oct. 2025
Noun
Amazon said that will reduce weekly contributions by 34% and co-pays by 87% for primary care, mental health and most non-specialist visits for employees using the basic plan.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025
Proof that staying current pays.
—Joseph Coughlin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
While his premiums are very low, his deductible and co-pays for things like prescriptions for insulin equipment run hundreds of dollars per month.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
The bill will also require people with incomes above the poverty line to pay out-of-pocket co-pays for most Medicaid services, such as lab tests or doctor visits.
—Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 4 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pays
Verb
-
A little over half of that burden will hit farmers directly in the form of falling retail prices, SBI said, unless the government compensates for the loss.—
Sriram Iyer, executive editor, CNBC-TV18,
CNBC,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The compliance inherent to the finger effectively compensates for the inaccuracies in human actuation, leading to robust behavior.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
18 Feb. 2022
Verb
-
Visit the Portland Head Light for great photo ops where fall foliage meets the ocean, then explore the Children’s Garden, arboretum, and trails at Fort Williams Park.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Sisterhood Above All meets Ava, a pledge at Southern State University's Gamma sorority.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Costa spends pretty much the whole year scouting for potential films, all of which are awards contenders.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The stock, which yields almost 4%, fell 1% in premarket trading Wednesday.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
-
That anomaly yields a joke or two about Grofield using his acting skills to get into character on the job, but it’s insufficiently developed to add much.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The health care sector accounted for 48% of that lackluster growth, expanding by about 232,000 jobs, even though the sector employs only about 11% of workers.—
Phillip Reese,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
-
His pitch is that CRH, which employs some 80,000 people, is well-placed to benefit from a surge of investment in US infrastructure, from roads and bridges to AI data centers and microchip plants.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Of the more than $30 million in equity funds provided to schools, about 90% was spent on staff salaries in the 2024-25 school year, according to a district dashboard.—
Krista Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Small business owners require a customer support team but may not have enough resources to manage hiring and ongoing salaries.—
Lyssanoel Frater,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
No government organization will contact someone via text message to pay a bill or ask for payments through a Bitcoin ATM.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The Republican bill did crack down on that practice but California − which has put new restrictions and payments on its Medi-Cal plan for undocumented immigrants − maintains that effort is paid for out of state funds, not federal money (because it's prohibited).—
Todd Spangler,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images What To Know The program repays up to $20,000 in student loan debt over four years, according to HESAA.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pays. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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