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buying

/ˈbaɪ.ɪŋ/
verb★Beginner
formal

The act of purchasing goods or services in exchange for money or other forms of payment.

She was buying groceries at the supermarket.

He is buying a new car next month.

💡

The present participle form of 'buy', often used in continuous tenses to describe ongoing purchasing activities.

Collocations

buying timedelaying or postponing a decision to gain more information or advantagebuying intoaccepting or believing in something, often after initial skepticism

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Phrases

buying timephrase
delaying a decision to gain more information or advantage
buying intophrase
accepting or believing in something after initial skepticism

💡Pro Tip

Common Collocations

'Buying' is often followed by specific nouns like 'groceries', 'a house', or 'time' to indicate different contexts.

⚡Gold Rule

Continuous Tense Usage

Use 'buying' in continuous tenses to describe ongoing purchasing activities (e.g., 'She is buying a new laptop').

📖Word Origin

From Middle English 'byen', from Old Norse 'búa' (to dwell, prepare), related to Old English 'būan' (to dwell). The modern sense of 'to purchase' emerged in the 16th century.

📝Usage Notes

Often used in continuous tenses (e.g., 'I am buying a house') to describe ongoing transactions. Can also be used in the phrase 'buying time' to indicate delaying a decision.

Word Breakdown

buy
to obtain something in exchange for money
root
+
-ing
indicates ongoing action
suffix
English Dictionary

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