Synonyms of pays

pays 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pay

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

• compensates
• repays
• reimburses
• remunerates
• refunds
• recompenses
• pays off
• pays up
• remits
• prepays
• requites

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• stiffs

2

as in meets

to give what is owed for

you ought to pay that bill before it's overdue

Synonyms & Similar Words

• meets
• settles
• balances
• stands
• pays off
• clears
• pays up
• foots
• liquidates
• discharges
• quits
• springs (for)
• recompenses
• antes (up)
• ponies up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• repudiates

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

• spends
• gives
• disburses
• outlays
• expends
• lays out
• drops
• shells out
• lavishes
• forks (over, out, or up)
• rains
• wastes
• runs through
• blows
• dissipates
• squanders
• throws away
• fritters (away)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• saves
• earns
• makes
• realizes
• acquires
• wins
• secures
• procures
• lays up
• gains
• hoards
• caches
• garners

4

as in yields

to produce as revenue

an investment paying six percent

Synonyms & Similar Words

• yields
• gives
• returns
• provides
• bears
• affords
• furnishes
• supplies
• brings in
• nets
• pays off

5

as in employs

to provide with a paying job

pay someone to mow the lawn for the summer

Synonyms & Similar Words

• employs
• hires
• recruits
• engages
• retains
• fees
• assumes
• signs (up or on)
• enlists
• places
• lays on
• takes on
• jobs
• partners
• promotes
• rehires
• contracts
• reemploys
• apprentices
• subcontracts
• reengages
• keeps (on)
• upgrades
• advances
• headhunts
• scouts

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dismisses
• cans
• discharges
• fires
• axes
• sacks
• furloughs
• lays off
• locks out

pays

2 of 2

noun

plural of pay

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

• salaries
• wages
• payments
• stipends
• hires
• paychecks
• pay envelopes
• emoluments
• packets
• returns
• minimum wages
• profits
• earnings
• nominal wages
• compensations
• living wages
• reparations
• reimbursements
• take-home pays
• yields
• repayments
• recompenses
• overtimes
• restitutions
• double times
• remittances
• takings
• redresses
• remunerations
• recoupments
• time and a halfs
• requitals

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

• payments
• wages
• compensations
• salaries
• reparations
• considerations
• remittances
• reimbursements
• recompenses
• stipends
• outlays
• deposits
• remunerations
• expenditures
• repayments
• refunds
• adjustments
• rentals
• indemnities
• rents
• settlements
• rebates
• disbursements
• requitals
• redresses
• prepayments
• restitutions
• overpayments
• recoupments

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pays

Verb

Each round pays a hosting fee that bolsters not only the F1 organization’s revenues, but also the prize money that goes to teams at the end of each year. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 26 July 2026

Then there is one overriding factor in the current political climate — a GOP that pays fealty to a president with little support among residents in the state’s most populous counties. — Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026

The public pays the company to come, and the record on what taxpayers get back is mixed at best. — Tonya M. Evans, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

The top 1%, which includes filers at $1 million and above, pays about 30% of state income tax revenue. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026

The beach and pools are merely steps from the resort, whose architecture fuses the natural environment and pays a nod to its surroundings is an experience in and of itself. — Gina Kramer, USA Today, 25 July 2026

Factory International also pays tribute to the city’s cultural history, taking its name from Factory Records. — Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 18 July 2026

To deal with the higher premiums, some employers are changing the design of their health plans to shift more of the cost to workers by raising deductibles and co-pays. — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026

As the saying goes, hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue. — Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026

Noun

There is no Cost Per Mile (CPM), a digital marketing metric that represents the cost an advertiser pays for every 1,000 impressions. — Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 5 July 2026

Just to cover the city’s various bond measures, the owner of a home with an assessed value of $1 million pays around $1,145 annually. — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 3 June 2026

Even with premiums, co-pays and deductibles, the federal government cannot afford Medicare-for-some. — Editorial Board, Washington Post, 26 May 2026

In return, doctors offer a more thorough annual physical, same-day appointments, no co-pays and more time with the patient. — Chris Tomlinson, Houston Chronicle, 7 May 2026

Health insurance plans are designed to include some level of cost-sharing, such as co-pays or co-insurance. — Fennemore, Oc Register, 30 Apr. 2026

Tax revenue from sports gambling pays for water projects across the state. — Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2026

The final version of the bill walks back many of the more drastic changes that originally appeared in HB 2, including lowering co-pays, easing up on redetermination and allowing for hardship waivers. — Keely Doll, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Apr. 2026

Additionally, 80% said all health care costs -- including premiums, deductibles, co-pays or coinsurance -- are higher. — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026