buy

1 of 2

verb

ˈbī 

bought ˈbȯt  ; buying

transitive verb

1

: to acquire possession, ownership, or rights to the use or services of by payment especially of money : purchase

buy a car

buying stock in the company

bought us dinner

2

a

: to obtain in exchange for something often at a sacrifice

They bought peace with their freedom.

b

Christianity : redeem sense 6

bought us with his blood

3

: bribe, hire

buy a public official

4

: to be the purchasing equivalent of

The dollar buys less today than it used to.

5

: accept, believe

I don't buy that hooey.

—often used with into

buy into a compromise

intransitive verb

: to make a purchase

Now is a good time to buy.

see also:

buy into buy it buy time

buy

2 of 2

noun

1

: something of value at a favorable price

especially : bargain

It's a real buy at that price.

2

: an act of acquiring possession, ownership, or rights to the use or services of something by payment especially of money : an act of buying (see buy entry 1 sense 1) : purchase

an undercover drug buy

Synonyms of buy

Verb

• purchase

Noun

• steal
• bargain
• deal

Examples of buy in a Sentence

Verb

I bought this hat for $10.

He bought the quilt from a local artist.

Stock prices are low, so now is a good time to buy.

He said it was a mistake, but I don't buy it.

Noun

four cartons of ice cream for four dollars is a real buy

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The Greater Boise Auditorium District Board on Tuesday entered into an agreement to buy a 4⅛-acre lot with an aging warehouse on River Street between 10th and 11th streets, a seven-minute walk from its convention center in the heart of downtown. —Mark Dee april 1, Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2026

The final window to buy World Cup tickets is about to start. —Rafael Nam, NPR, 31 Mar. 2026

Noun

Goldman Sachs adds Carlisle and Citizens Financial to the top picks list The firm added both stocks to its conviction buy list. —Michael Bloom, CNBC, 1 Apr. 2026

Acquisition officials warned at the time that the policy risked slowing down routine purchasing and urgent buys alike, especially during DHS's busiest contracting period. —Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English byen, from Old English bycgan; akin to Goth bugjan to buy

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1879, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing buy

• bring-and-buy sale
• buy a pup
• buy-down
• buy-in
• buy into
• buy it
• buy off
• buy one's way
• buy out
• buy the farm
• buy time
• buy up
• impulse buy/purchase
• option to buy

Rhymes for buy

• ai
• aye
• bae
• bi
• by
• bye
• chai
• chi
• cry
• die
• dry
• dye

Kids Definition

buy

1 of 2 verb

ˈbī 

bought ˈbȯt  ; buying

1

: to get by paying money for : purchase

2

: to gain control over by bribery

buy votes

3

: believe sense 3

I don't buy that nonsense

buyer

ˈbī(-ə)r 

noun

buy

2 of 2 noun

: bargain entry 1 sense 2