pay
/peɪ/verb★Intermediate
formal
to give someone money in exchange for something
I paid $10 for the movie ticket.
informal
to suffer or experience something unpleasant
She paid the price for her mistake.
Collocations
pay attentionto concentrate or focus on somethingpay offto repay a debt
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related Phrases
pay forphrase
to give money in exchange for something
pay upphrase
to pay the full amount
💡Pro Tip
Collocation tip
The phrase 'pay attention' is commonly used in everyday conversations.
⚡Gold Rule
Grammar rule
The verb 'pay' is often followed by a direct object and a prepositional phrase indicating the recipient or purpose.
📖Word Origin
From Old French 'paier', from Latin 'pacare', meaning 'to appease' or 'to satisfy'.
Word Breakdown
pay
to give or transfer
rootEnglish Dictionary