1
as in to compensate
to give (someone) the sum of money owed for goods or services received
we need to pay the cashier and then we can leave
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in to spend
to hand over or use up in payment
rock fans were willing to pay enormous sums to get into the concert
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
5
as in to hire
to provide with a paying job
pay someone to mow the lawn for the summer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in salary
the money paid regularly to a person for labor or services
it's difficult to support two children on her pay
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in payment
something (as money) that is given or received in return for goods or services
we should demand pay for all the overtime we're putting in
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of pay
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2025
Speaking after an assessment meeting with the army’s chief of staff, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Iran will pay a heavy price for harming Israeli citizens.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025
Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2025
In addition to Ekblad, center Sam Bennett is also a pending free agent and will be due a hefty pay raise from his current deal that is paying him an average of $4.425 million per season.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pay
Verb
Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is the mission commander with aviator John Shoffner as pilot and two mission specialist seats paid for by the Saudi Space Commission, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 June 2025
Speaking after an assessment meeting with the army’s chief of staff, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Iran will pay a heavy price for harming Israeli citizens.
—Jon Gambrell, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025
Noun
Early childhood education programs will have access to state grants that will require adherence to a pay structure equal to public school teachers, Bye said.
—Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2025
In addition to Ekblad, center Sam Bennett is also a pending free agent and will be due a hefty pay raise from his current deal that is paying him an average of $4.425 million per season.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pay
Verb
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Not only does this type of pain point to an underlying injury, pushing through can lead to a secondary injury, because other muscles and tissues absorb extra stress to compensate.—
Cindy Kuzma,
SELF,
23 June 2025
-
It was created with a single question in mind: Why do most work boots fail the people who wear them every day? Uncomfortable fits, tight toe boxes, and poor longevity have often left many tradespeople compensating.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
22 June 2025
Verb
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The nomination comes just two days after Trump met with Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir at the White House.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 June 2025
-
Time running out to meet 1.5 degree warming limit Research estimates that the carbon ‘budget’ remaining to avoid passing the critical threshold is less than three years’ worth at current rates.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
20 June 2025
Verb
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For the next five years, Daniele dug through MIT archives, spent time at libraries and visited Swallow’s birthplace in Dunstable, Mass.—
Gqlshare,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
18 June 2025
-
Rempe is spending this summer training in the New York area.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
Verb
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On average, a year’s worth of screenings yields nine million positive results—of which 8.8 million are false.—
Siddhartha Mukherjee,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
-
Modest improvements to the weakest link usually yield more value than myopic focus on perfecting a single, siloed initiative.—
James Blake,
Forbes.com,
16 June 2025
Verb
-
The Raiders, having recently hired former Seattle coach Pete Carroll, emerged as a potential trade partner.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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Mamdani’s campaign has recently hired security amid an uptick in threats leveled against him.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
Noun
-
The lawsuit claims that Robinson was paid a salary of $125,000 by the Chiefs, but that his research found other NFL teams paid comparable positions an average salary of $171,932, not including other benefits.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
20 June 2025
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That includes people who are jobless but have stopped searching for work, as well as people who are employed but earning an annual salary of less than $25,000 a year.—
Brit Morse,
Fortune,
19 June 2025
Noun
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The tax department needs to ensure that these taxability rules are applied correctly, that transaction data is collected and reported and that payments are submitted to the appropriate government tax authorities.—
Sal Visca,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
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Even before the $2.7 billion merger was completed last year, Saks’ vendor payments had been delayed for some time.—
Jean E. Palmieri,
Footwear News,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Chicago Heights will receive a loan of $5 million, of which $2 million doesn’t need to be repaid, toward replacing nearly 300 water lines.—
Mike Nolan,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2025
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How much of that outstanding debt schools end up having to repay would depend on some complicated math, including the program's cost and how much money its graduates earn.—
Cory Turner,
NPR,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pay. Accessed 28 Jun. 2025.
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