📒 to give somebody money for work, goods, services, etc.
- Who's paying?
- pay for something I'll pay for the tickets.
- You have to pay extra for a single room.
📒 to give somebody money that you owe them
- pay something to pay a fee/bill/fine/debt
- to pay your rent
- Everyone has to pay their taxes.
📒 to give or provide a particular amount of money for the work that somebody does
- Software firms generally pay well (= pay high salaries).
- jobs that pay less than £10 an hour
- I need to get a job that pays better.
📒 used with some nouns to show that you are giving or doing the thing mentioned
- pay something Most of the students weren't paying attention.
- pay something to something/somebody The director paid tribute to all she had done for the charity.
- He paid a visit to Japan last year.
📒 to produce a profit; to result in some advantage for somebody
- It's hard to make farming pay.
- Crime doesn't pay.
- it pays to do something It pays to keep up to date with your work.
📒 to suffer or be punished for your beliefs or actions
- pay for something You'll pay for that remark!
- He will pay dearly for what he did.
- pay with something Many people paid with their lives (= they died).
📒 to cost/pay a lot of money
📒 a lot of trouble
- There'll be hell to pay when he finds out.
📒 to pay careful attention to somebody/something
- They gave little heed to the rumours.
- I paid no heed at the time but later I had cause to remember what he’d said.
- Small businesses would be wise to take heed of the warnings contained in the Chancellor’s speech.
📒 the person who provides the money for something can also control how it is spent
📒 to give no attention to somebody/something
- People call him names sometimes, but he doesn't pay them any mind.
📒 to treat somebody with great respect in order to gain favour with them
📒 to work hard and gain experience, so that you deserve success or respect
- As a young actor, he paid his dues in small roles.
- She is incredibly qualified and has paid her dues to become president.
📒 to do what is required or expected of you
- Vick paid his dues (= completed his punishment), and since being released from prison has been a model citizen.
📒 to save as much money as it cost
- The rail pass will pay for itself after about two trips.
📒 used to emphasize that something cost(s) a lot of money, especially if the money is wasted
- I paid good money for this jacket, and now look at it—it's ruined!
📒 to suffer because of bad luck, a mistake or something you have done
- He looked terrible this morning. I think he's paying the penalty for all those late nights.
- They're now paying the price for past mistakes.
- She thinks that any inconvenience is a price worth paying for living in such a beautiful place.
📒 to visit somebody or to send a message of good wishes as a sign of respect for them
- Many came to pay their last respects (= by attending somebody's funeral).
📒 to pay too much money for something
📒 to make enough money to pay what it costs to keep it going
- The bridge is still not paying its way.
📒 to pay for everything yourself without having to rely on anyone else’s money
📒 to borrow money from one person to pay back what you owe to another person; to take money from one thing to use for something else
📒 used for saying that there is very little difference between two or more things that you can choose