pays up

present tense third-person singular of pay up
as in pays
to give what is owed for for once our bills are all paid up

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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 pays up Phillips’ job, which pays up to $264,000 a year, could be the first test. Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026 By contrast, Social Security pays up to $62,172 a year in 2026. Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 16 July 2026 Under current rules, each venue pays up to $15 million annually. Christopher Damien, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026 The SoonerSafe Rebate Program pays up to 75% of the cost of a new safe room, up to $3,000. Dale Denwalt, Oklahoman, 6 Mar. 2026 Norton, his interest piqued, pays up to discover there is more like it at Ox Lake, 600 miles farther north in the open tundra known as the Barren Grounds. Malcolm Forbes, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2026 In the most severe cases, the state pays up to $86,000 annually for a person’s home care, Reiskin said. Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pays up
Verb
  • Medicaid, the federal-state program that covers healthcare for low-income families, pays for at least 40% of births nationwide.
    Andrew Jones, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The main hall is 329 years old and the roof leaks, and a temple at the head of a pilgrimage route doesn't generate the kind of money that pays for a roof.
    Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The operator model pays off when the delivery network is complex enough that the decisions being made inside it—or being made poorly, or not at all—are materially affecting cost and customer experience.
    Nishith Rastogi, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • That's why saving money on some parts of your vacation without compromising on the overall quality of the trip definitely pays off.
    Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 21 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Pays up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pays%20up. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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