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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 When backed by the federal Hydrogen Production Tax Credit, which pays up to $3 per kilogram of clean fuel, these factory installations become viable immediately. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026 If approved, the company pays up to the plan’s coverage limit. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026 Late on Thursday night, the Dallas Cowboys agreed to terms with wide receiver Ryan Flournoy on a one-year contract extension that pays up to $6 million in incentives, a team source confirmed. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Sep. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pays up
Verb
  • All four embrace their Crew-13 designation that pays homage in their mission patch to Apollo 13.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Murphy executive produces both series while shepherding his slate under the overall deal at 20th TV, which pays his overhead.
    — Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • This opaqueness from earlier in the season pays off in the form of John recounting the brutal methods the Manhunter used to decimate this planet, involving a fear gas that made people kill one another and jump to their deaths.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Quarterly reporting cycles do not reward discipline that pays off over a longer horizon than a single reporting period.
    — Hiren Dhaduk, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pays up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pays%20up. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!