Word family noun pay payment repayment payer payee adjective paid ≠ unpaid underpaid ≠ overpaid payable verb pay repay underpay ≠ overpay
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpaypay1 /peɪ/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense and past participle paid /peɪd/) 1 give money [intransitive, transitive]PAY FOR to give someone money for something you buy or for a service How would you like to pay?pay for Mum paid for my driving lessons.pay (in) cash You’d get a discount for paying cash.pay by cheque/credit card Can I pay by credit card?pay somebody for something He didn’t even offer to pay me for the ticket.pay somebody to do something Ray paid some kids to wash the car.pay somebody something I paid him $5 to cut the grass.pay (somebody) in dollars/euros etc He wanted to be paid in dollars.GRAMMAR: Patterns with pay• You pay an amount or you pay a person: We paid $700.Pay the delivery man. • You pay for something that you buy: I’ll pay for the tickets. ✗Don’t say: I’ll pay the tickets.• You pay an amount or a person for something that you buy: I paid £100 for this jacket.She paid me for the drinks.• You pay someone an amount: They paid the owner €3,000.• You pay in a type of money: Can I pay in euros?• You pay by a particular method: You can pay by credit card.2 bill/tax/rent [transitive]BPAY FOR to pay money that you owe to a person, company etc I forgot to pay the gas bill! You pay tax at the basic rate. Is it okay if I pay you what I owe you next week?3 wage/salary [intransitive, transitive]BEW to give someone money for the job they do How much do they pay you?pay somebody $100 a day/£200 a week etc They’re only paid about £4 an hour. Some lawyers get paid over $400 an hour.be paid weekly/monthly (also get paid weekly/monthly) We get paid weekly on Fridays.well/badly/poorly paid Many of the workers are very badly paid.paid work (=work you are paid to do)paid holiday/leave (=time when you are not working but are still paid)4 → pay attention (to somebody/something)5 legal cost [transitive] to give money to someone because you are ordered to by a court as part of a legal case She had to pay a £35 fine for speeding.pay (something in) compensation/damages (=give someone money because you have done something against them) The company were forced to pay £5,000 in compensation. Martins was ordered to pay court costs of £1,500.6 say something good [transitive] to say something good or polite about or to someone The minister paid tribute to the work of the emergency services. I came by to pay my respects (=visit or send a polite greeting to someone) to Mrs Owens. I was just trying to pay her a compliment. 7 good result [intransitive]ADVANTAGE if a particular action pays, it brings a good result or advantage for you Crime doesn’t pay. It pays to get some professional advice before you make a decision. It would pay you to ask if there are any jobs going at the London office. Getting some qualifications now will pay dividends (=bring a lot of advantages) in the long term.8 profit [intransitive]PROFIT if a shop or business pays, it makes a profit If the pub doesn’t start to pay, we’ll have to sell it. The farm just manages to pay its way (=make as much profit as it costs to run).9 → pay the penalty/price10 → pay (somebody) a call/visit11 → put paid to something12 be punished [intransitive] to suffer or be punished for something you have done wrong I’ll make him pay!pay for They paid dearly for their mistakes.13 → pay your way14 → pay for itself15 → the devil/hell to pay16 → pay through the nose (for something)17 → somebody has paid their debt to society18 → pay court (to somebody)19 → he who pays the piper calls the tune20 → pay it forward → pay lip service to at lip service, → pay your dues at due3(2)COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: to give someone money for something you buy or for a servicephrasespay £10/$50 etcI only paid ten pounds for it.pay (in) cashYou have to pay in cash for the tickets.pay by chequeI filled up with petrol and then paid by cheque.pay by credit cardThe hotel does not charge more if you pay by credit card.pay in dollars/euros etcAmerican exporters want to be paid in dollars.adverbspay handsomely (=pay a lot of money)Customers are willing to pay handsomely for anti-ageing cosmetic products. THESAURUSpay to give someone money for something you are buying from them, or a service they are providingI paid a lot of money for that computer.You have to pay to park your car.meet the cost of something to pay for something for someone else, or to provide the money needed to do somethingWe will meet the cost of your travelling expenses.The cost will be met from public donations.foot the bill to pay for something for someone else, especially when you do not want to, or do not think that you shouldAs usual, the taxpayer will have to foot the bill.pick up the tab informal to pay for somethingMy company will pick up the tab for all moving costs.fork out/shell out informal to pay a lot of money for something because you have to and not because you want toHe had to fork out £500 to get his car fixed.Fans are having to shell out roughly $65 per seat for football games.settle the bill to pay the bill after eating a meal, staying in a hotel etcShe went down to the hotel lobby to settle the bill.give especially spoken to pay a particular amount of money for something – used especially when saying how much you are willing to payHow much will you give me for the car?I’ll give you $50 for the lot (=for everything).something is on somebody spoken used when saying that someone else will pay for your meal, drinks etcOrder whatever you like – this is on me!The drinks are on the house (=the bar, restaurant etc will let you have them for free).Put your money away – the drinks are on us. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 3: to give someone money for the job they dophrasespay somebody £200 a week/$100 a day etcThe cleaners are paid £5 an hour.be paid by the hour/day/weekI was working on a building site, being paid by the hour.adverbsbe paid weekly/monthlyMost of us get paid weekly or monthly.well-paidTeachers here are well-paid.highly-paida highly-paid football playerbadly-paid/poorly-paidFor a long time I didn’t realise how badly-paid and overworked I was. → pay somebody/something ↔ back → pay something ↔ in → pay off → pay out → pay something ↔ over → pay up→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
pay• She paid $5,000 for three nights in a hotel in New York City.• Our fixed rate savings account currently pays 6.5% interest.• Several fans tried to get in without paying.• Although both of them worked hard, they couldn't make the business pay.• If I go out for a meal with my parents, they always pay.• Please pay at the desk.• Budgeting loans are paid back by weekly deductions from benefit.• So if a premium is paid before 6 April 1993, it may be treated as having been paid during 1990/91.• Pay by credit card at least ten days before departure.• She drank far too much at the party and paid dearly for it the next day.• It showed revenue of A $ 641. 1 million and paid dividends of 32 cents a share in the year.• Miller refused to testify and paid for it by being labelled a communist.• I like your new car - how much did you pay for it?• My company paid for me to go to evening classes.• She sent money to pay for my education.• Have you paid for the tickets?• She says she wouldn't pay it.• Of course you have to pay more if you want to travel in the summer.• If you earn below $6000, you pay no income tax.• Bartending can pay pretty well.• If you pay someone to work in your house, you have to pay Social Security taxes on the wages.• He always paid the banks, and he paid all other incontestable bills on time.• Because the insurance company was paying the defendant's costs, the contest would be unequal.• Have you paid the rent yet?• I need £4.50 to pay the window cleaner.• Bribes were paid to railroad officials, of course, but other towns paid bigger ones.• Jobs in areas that use mathematical skills, such as computer programming, tend to pay well.• Did she pay you for taking care of her kids?pay for• The Roald Dahl Foundation has provided funds to pay for a paediatric epilepsy nurse at the unit.• Let me pay for dinner this time.• This year I have paid for it.• People who sell drugs to our children should pay dearly for it.• And, unlike federal employees, they have no guarantee of pay for lost time.• And £22,730 will be used to help pay for repairs to bridge steps down to the riverside at Llangollen.• But getting health insurers to pay for the promised sessions is, in many cases, a losing struggle.• The system is overwhelmed by too many retirees and not enough younger workers to pay for their benefits.• A baseball player doesn't have to pay for transport.• I've spent the last three years in jail. I tell you, I've paid for what I did.pay ... bill• I suppose I began my first little businesses because my parents needed me to help pay the bills.• Once home, Shulman went inside while Kantor paid the bill.• Ordinary households at the bottom of the economic food chain were left to pay the bill.• They only escaped with about twenty five pounds, money which Mrs Selman had been saving to pay bills.• As a result, the people whose financial position makes it easiest to pay bills actually get the lowest-cost credit.• See who pays the bills or does a goddamn single thing for any one of you.• The obligation on the client of a solicitor is to pay the bill presented.• She paid her bill to the efficient receptionist and left the hospital. get paid• Did the company responsible get paid?• At the other end of the business, the actual drivers get paid a pittance out of what is left over.• The Grovel Industry, where you get paid danger money because it's so insecure.• I work for food.' I got paid for free.• That's what you get paid for, isn't it?• I told you I get paid for what I do.• Today, he is expected to get paid like one.• Coors will also get paid more for its waste beer under the new contract, he said.pay ... fine• A top adviser to the House leadership said Gingrich is quietly canvassing members about how to pay the fine.• In concluding he promised to go to prison rather than pay his fine.• It was either off the train or pay the fine.• Under his successors, it was also exploited as a source of revenue by allowing men to pay a fine for exemption.• Cole was not asked directly whether the speaker would have to pay the fine himself.• It was like a man convicted of forgery paying his fine with a dud £50 note.paid tribute to• Read in studio A coroner has paid tribute to a parachutist who sacrificed his own life to save a colleague.• John Motum, presenting his trophy, paid tribute to both the players and the coaches.• Friends paid tribute to Herrera's courage.• Dole paid tribute to Reagan, the two-term president who gained popularity as an anti-government politician in the 1980s.• Today their station commander paid tribute to the men.• The new Bishop also paid tribute to the Ministry of Bishop Harris over the past 14 years.• In declaring the factory open, paid tribute to the teamwork which went into the design and construction of the plant.• Fenner Brockway paid tribute to the understanding and respect for individual conscience shown by the state.• He rightly paid tribute to the West Midlands police for what they have done in this process. It pays to• If you are willing to pay the difference in price there is usually even more choice. It pays to inquire.pay its way• But today, guardians of the land are finding it rather more difficult to make sure the estate pays its way.• But, in spite of the considerable effort and investment, it has for many years failed to pay its way.• Government decided that the whole of the railway freight business should pay its way.• If education postpones such dependency it will have paid its way.• Britain was no longer paying its way in the world.• Octavia Hill believed, with most other Victorians, that housing should pay its way to her, housing subsidies were unthinkable.make ... pay• This makes paying attention to a task in a busy schoolroom very difficult.• They should be made to pay for cleaning it up.• This includes a reminder that any person caught swearing must be made to pay for it.• Suddenly, I want to punish him, to make him pay for my invisibility.• How it could have been made to pay is a mystery.• Enquiries should be made from the pay kiosk or general office.• Abolish the present inheritance tax and make recipients pay on gifts above a certain band as income. paypay2 ●●● S1 W2 noun [uncountable] 1 BEWmoney that you are given for doing your job Staff have been working without pay for the last month. The tax is deducted from your pay every week. He was suspended on full pay until the hearing.► see thesaurus at salary2 → in the pay of somebodyCOLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + paylowNurses often work long hours for relatively low pay.goodThe work was steady and the pay was pretty good.higher/betterWorkers demanded higher pay.equal pay (=the same pay for the same type of work)The women at the factory went on strike for equal pay.basic pay British English, base pay American English (=not including overtime pay or bonuses)The basic pay is so low you end up doing lots of overtime.take-home pay (=after tax etc has been taken away)Their average take-home pay is just £120.overtime pay (=for extra hours that you work)Their bosses had to approve any overtime pay.holiday pay British English, vacation pay American English (=pay when you are on holiday)Servicemen and women get no holiday pay, no overtime, no weekends off. sick pay (=pay when you are ill)As a self-employed person, you get no sick pay or benefits.maternity pay (=pay while a woman takes time off to have a baby)If you have worked here a year, you are entitled to 3 month’s maternity pay.redundancy pay British English, severance pay American English (=pay when there is no longer a job for you)We invested our redundancy pay in a new business venture.full payThey were immediately suspended on full pay pending a full inquiry.half payIn 1822 he retired from the army as captain on half pay.pay + NOUNa pay increaseTeachers will be awarded a 6% pay increase this year.a pay rise British English, pay raise American EnglishIf you get promoted, will you get a pay rise?a pay cutStaff were asked to take a 10% pay cut.a rate of pay (also a pay rate) (=the amount paid every hour, week etc)Many workers in the catering industry are on low rates of pay.a pay cheque British English, a paycheck American English (=the money you earn every week or month)Stretching your money until the next pay cheque arrives often becomes difficult.a pay freeze (=when no one’s pay is increased)Ministers have approved a public sector pay freeze.a pay claim British English (=official request for more pay)The miners voted for strike action in support of their pay claim. a pay dispute (=disagreement between an employer and employees about pay)Many flights were cancelled because of a pilots’ pay dispute.pay and conditions (=the conditions in which people work and the pay they get)The unions are demanding better pay and conditions.COMMON ERRORS ► Don’t say ‘the salary pay’. Just say the pay.THESAURUSincome money that you receive from working, investments etcfamilies on a low incomesalary the pay that professional people such as teachers or lawyers earn every yeara salary of $65,000 a yearwages the pay that someone earns every hour or every weekHer wages barely cover the rent.bonus money added to someone’s pay, as a reward for good work or as a reward when the company does wellThe company pays an attendance bonus – if you go 30 days without being late or absent, you get the bonus.earnings all the money that you earn by workingIn a good year, a bonus can double an executive’s earnings.Examples from the Corpus
pay• The new chief executive acknowledged he would be taking a pay cut.• Most of all, they need equal pay and comparable worth.• To raise his wage without raising his marginal productivity would be to put his pay above his contribution.• Staff unions and many councillors last year attacked large pay increases for senior staff in all departments.• The worst thing about being a nurse is the low pay.• Joe's been receiving sick pay since the accident.• If entitlements are exceeded, the system will issue the relevant warning message and stop pay.• For four years running, the Government's teachers' pay committee has reported that teachers' morale has never been lower.• "What's the pay?" "About $10 an hour."• For most fast-food workers, the pay is around $5 an hour.• If women were evenly distributed across the spectrum of employment, their pay levels would be much closer to those of men.From Longman Business Dictionarypaypay1 /peɪ/ noun [uncountable] the money someone receives for the job they doShe got the job, but it meant a big pay cut.an increase in hourly payAll I want is a full day’s work for a full day’s pay.Thebasic pay (=the usual amount, without any extra) is so low you end up putting in overtime. → see also equal pay → back pay → callback pay → differential pay → free pay → holiday pay → maternity pay → paternity pay → performance-related pay → premium pay → reporting pay → sick pay → strike pay → take-home pay → vacation paypaypay2 verb (past tense and past participle paid)1[intransitive, transitive] to give a person or company money for a product or service they have suppliedHow much can you afford to pay?GM won’t pay a Christmas bonus to salaried employees next year.pay forFarmers desperately need hard credit to pay for seed and fertilizer.The proportion of shoppers willing to pay more for special brands has fallen sharply.pay somebody for somethingUnited has agreed to pay Pan Am $290 million for its London routes.2pay for itself if something you buy pays for itself, the money it saves over a period of time is as much as it costInvestment in energy efficiency will pay for itself in two years due to the amount of fuel saved.3pay its wayCOMMERCE if a machine or business activity pays its way, it makes more money than it costs to runThe SBS television channel is permitted to run limited advertising to help pay its way.4pay through the nose (for something) informal to pay much more for something than it is really worthFinance people have paid through the nose for consultants in recent years.5[transitive]FINANCE to give a person or company money you owe themCelutel has been trying to raise cash topay debt.The association has set up the loan fund to help its members pay fines.Shoppers in Newfoundlandpay 19%tax on purchases of goods and services. 6[intransitive, transitive] to give someone money for the job they doCane cutters here are paid about $1.50 per ton.attempts by management not to pay employees overtime7[transitive]FINANCE if investments pay a particular amount of money or rate of interest, the investors who own them will receive that amount of profitOur Gold Account is currently paying a 5.3%interest rate.All the current junk bonds pay cash interest.Under the current deal, BBDO stock is paying about 10 times last year’s earnings.8[intransitive]COMMERCE if a shop or business pays, it makes a profitIf the Chinese can ship this equipment 12,000 miles, how is it that British industry cannot make it pay? → pay somebody/something ↔ back → pay down something → pay something in → pay off → pay something ↔ out → pay up→ See Verb tableOrigin pay1 (1100-1200) Old French paier, from Latin pacere “to make calm or peaceful”, from pax; → PEACE 