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Synonyms of pay in English:
pay
See US English definition of pay
See UK English definition of pay
See Spanish definition of pagar
verb
1‘I must pay him for his work’
SYNONYMS
reward, reimburse, recompense, give payment to, settle up with, remunerate, tip, indemnify
2‘the public would prefer to pay a few pounds more council tax’
SYNONYMS
spend, expend, pay out, lay out, part with, disburse, hand over, remit, render
informal dish out, shell out, fork out, cough up
North American informal ante up, pony up
3‘the company was unable to pay its debts’
SYNONYMS
discharge, settle, pay off, pay in full, meet, clear, square, defray, honour, satisfy, make good, liquidate
4‘our reputation for quality and service will pay dividends’
SYNONYMS
yield, pay out, return, produce, bring in
informal rake in
5‘he has made the buses pay’
SYNONYMS
be profitable, make money, make a profit, be remunerative, make a return, provide a living
6‘it may pay you to drop all your sails while you anchor’
SYNONYMS
be advantageous to, benefit, be of advantage to, be of benefit to, be beneficial to, be profitable to, be worthwhile to, repay, serve
7‘he had always found it difficult to pay Martha compliments’
SYNONYMS
bestow, present, grant, give, hand out, extend, offer, proffer, render, afford
8‘I'll make him pay for his mistakes’
SYNONYMS
suffer, suffer the consequences, be punished, pay a penalty, atone, make atonement, pay the price, get one's deserts, take one's medicine
informal get one's comeuppance
noun
1‘equal pay for women’
SYNONYMS
salary, wages, wage, take-home pay, gross pay, net pay, payment
earnings, fee, fees, remuneration, stipend, emolument, emoluments, honorarium, allowance, handout, handouts, recompense, compensation, reimbursement, reward, income, revenue, profit, profits, proceeds, takings, gain, lucre
Phrases
- pay someone out
‘this was to pay Emma out, to make her feel guilty’
SYNONYMS
get one's revenge on, be revenged on, revenge oneself on, repay, give someone their just deserts, reciprocate, punish, avenge oneself on, hit back at, get back at, get, get even with, settle a score with, settle the score with, settle accounts with, pay someone back, retaliate against, retaliate on, take reprisals against, exact retribution on
let someone see how it feels, give someone a taste of their own medicine
‘I'll pay you back for what you've done!’
SYNONYMS
get one's revenge on, be revenged on, revenge oneself on, give someone their just deserts, reciprocate, punish, avenge oneself on, hit back at, get back at, get, get even with, settle a score with, settle the score with, settle accounts with, pay someone out, retaliate against, take reprisals against, exact retribution on
let someone see how it feels, give someone a taste of their own medicine
‘he had just enough money to pay for the meal’
SYNONYMS
defray the cost of, settle up for
finance, endow, donate money for, leave money for
support, back, stake, fund, capitalize, provide capital for, provide finance for, furnish credit for, subsidize, sponsor
treat someone to
informal foot the bill for, shell out for, fork out for, cough up for
North American informal ante up for, pony up for
‘he has been allowed a week to pay up’
SYNONYMS
make payment, pay, settle up, pay in full, meet one's obligations, come up with the money
informal fork out, fork up, come across, cough up
British informal stump up
ANTONYMS
withhold
‘you use the proceeds to pay off your loan’
SYNONYMS
pay in full, pay, settle, discharge, meet, clear, square, honour, satisfy, make good, liquidate
‘his hard work paid off’
SYNONYMS
meet with success, be successful, succeed, be effective, work, get results, be profitable
‘she had to pay out £300 for treatment’
SYNONYMS
spend, expend, pay, lay out, put up, part with, hand over, remit, furnish, supply, disburse, contribute, give, donate, invest, advance, pledge
informal dish out, shell out, fork out, fork up, cough up
‘they did eventually pay me back the money’
SYNONYMS
repay, pay off, give back, return, remunerate, compensate, make amends to, make restitution to, reimburse, recoup, refund, restore, make good, indemnify, requite
1‘the taxi had gone before Tunney could pay off the driver’
SYNONYMS
pay what one owes
dismiss, discharge
2‘arrangements were made to pay off the police and hush it all up’
SYNONYMS
bribe, suborn, buy, buy off, get at, induce, lure, entice, grease someone's palm, oil someone's hand, oil someone's palm
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