From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishldoce_709_zbuybuy1 /baɪ/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense and past participle bought /bɔːt $ bɒːt/) 1 a) [intransitive, transitive]BUY to get something by paying money for it OPP sell Where did you buy that dress? Ricky showed her the painting he’d bought that morning.buy somebody something Let me buy you a drink.buy something for somebody/something The money will be used to buy equipment for the school.buy (something) from somebody It’s cheaper to buy direct from the manufacturer.buy something for $10/£200 etc Dan bought the car for $2,000. It’s much cheaper to buy in bulk (=buy large quantities of something). b) [transitive]BUY if a sum of money buys something, it is enough to pay for it $50 doesn’t buy much these days.buy somebody something $15 should buy us a pizza and a drink.2 → buy (somebody) time3 [transitive] informalBELIEVE to believe something that someone tells you, especially when it is not likely to be true ‘Let’s just say it was an accident.’ ‘He’ll never buy that.’4 [transitive]PAY FOR informal to pay money to someone, especially someone in a position of authority, in order to persuade them to do something dishonest SYN bribe People say the judge had been bought by the Mafia.5 → buy something at the cost/expense/price of something6 → somebody bought it7 → buy off-planTHESAURUSbuy to pay money for something so that you can own itI’ve just bought a new car.The painting was bought by a museum in New York.purchase formal to buy something, especially something large or expensive, in a business deal or by a legal contractThey purchased 5,000 acres of land.acquire formal to become the owner of something large or expensive such as property, a company, or a valuable objectIn 2007 the business was acquired by a Dutch company.Television companies were then allowed to acquire more stations.get especially spoken to buy something, especially ordinary things such as food, clothes, or things for your houseDid you remember to get some bread?I never know what to get Dad for his birthday.snap something up informal to buy something immediately, especially because it is very cheap, or because you want it very much and you are worried that someone else might buy it firstReal estate in the area is being snapped up by developers.pick something up informal to buy something, especially something ordinary such as food or a newspaper, or something that you have found by chance and are pleased about owningCould you pick up some milk on your way home?It’s just a little thing I picked up when I was in Kathmandu.stock up to buy a lot of something you use regularly, because you may not be able to buy it later, or because you are planning to use more of it than usualThe supermarkets are full of people stocking up for the New Year’s holiday.We always stock up on cheap wine when we go to France.Before the blizzard, we stocked up on food.splash out British English informal, splurge American English informal to buy something you would not usually buy, because it is too expensive, in order to celebrate an event or make yourself feel goodWhy don’t you splash out on a new dress for the party?We splurged on an expensive hotel for the last night of the vacation. → buy something ↔ in → buy into something → buy somebody ↔ off → buy out → buy something ↔ up→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
buy• They say the judge was bought.• We bought a house in Atlanta.• I bought a new dress today at Macy's.• John makes his living buying and selling used cars.• I wouldn't buy anything from him - I don't trust him.• The painting was bought by a museum in New York.• The ranch, which was originally bought for $20,000, is now valued at over $2 million.• The theme for April will be Easter and all proceeds will help buy glass and chinaware.• We decided to buy instead of rent.• Check out the prices for buying into a hamburger or a pizza chain.• If you don't have enough money for the pen, I'll buy it for you.• We could tell him it was an accident, but he'd never buy it.• Keith was going to buy me a ring, but now he says he wants to buy me a watch instead.• A dollar doesn't buy much these days.• He bought old refrigerators at garage sales and turned them into coolers for storing his flowers.• She'll never buy that excuse.• "He said he was with friends last night." "Are you going to buy that?"• Again the politicians balked at the cost of buying the land, and the local press echoed their opinion.• It's always difficult to come to a conclusion about portable computers because people buy them for different reasons.• Clients who buy through this service will receive a quarterly newsletter.• If I want to buy you something I buy you earrings or something.buy in bulk• You have entrepreneurs there looking to buy in bulk.• Another woman explains how a food co-operative has been set up, buying in bulk and selling at no profit to members.• They buy in bulk from manufacturers and importers, and distribute direct to their retail outlets.• Unless you are feeding a large group, try not to buy in bulk, or they will rot.buybuy2 noun [countable, usually singular] 1 CHEAPsomething that is worth buying, because it is cheap, good quality, or likely to gain in valuea good/excellent etc buy The wine is a good buy at $6.50. It’s worth shopping around for the best buy (=what you want at the lowest price).2 informal an act of buying something, especially something illegal SYN dealExamples from the Corpus
buy• If available and if priced right, it will be a good buy.• Powell felt both clubs were impetuous buys which Virgin could ill-afford at a time when it was struggling out of recession.• It was not a rational buy.• He made a similar buy Monday.• Salomon Brothers raised the disk-drive concern to strong buy from buy.the best buy• We explain how to roam the aisles of the cyber supermarket to collect the best buys.• The guide prices indicated are the manufacturers' recommended retail prices - it's worth shopping around for the best buy.• But once you open the book and view the video you realise that for £62 you have the best buy in town.• Wines by the glass or bottle offer the best buys.• Moores Rowland, which audited 28 companies, was the best buy.• The tradition for diesel cars is far better established on the Continent and that is where the best buys come from.From Longman Business Dictionarybuybuy1 /baɪ/ verb (past tense and past participle bought /bɔːtbɒːt/) [transitive]1COMMERCEto get something by paying money for itWe just cannot afford to buy a new car.buy somebody somethingCome on, I’ll buy you lunch.2if a sum of money buys something, you can get it for that amount of money£400,000 should buy a decent four-bedroomed house, especially outside the London area.buy somebody somethingA dollar won’t even buy you a cup of coffee these days.3buy a pig in a poke informal to buy something without seeing it or looking at it carefully, that turns out to be bad valueHouse purchasers must satisfy themselves through legal advisers or surveyors that they are not buying a pig in a poke.4buy a pupFINANCE informal to be cheated into buying something that is not good valueIf he has bought a pup, it is highly unlikely that any other shrewd financier would buy it from him.5buy (something) longFINANCE to buy and hold stocks, shares etc expecting their price to rise → buy something → down → buy something → forward → buy something → in → buy into something → buy somebody → off → buy somebody/something → out → buy something → up→ See Verb tablebuybuy2 noun be a good/bad etc buy to be worth or not worth the money being paidDo you think a second-hand car is a good buy? → best buy → impulse buyOrigin buy1 Old English bycgan 