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
Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 22 Mar. 2025
School systems with weak property tax bases, including those in rural areas, depend on that money to pay teachers, pay for buses and buy classroom technology.
—Bianca Vázquez Toness, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025
Rachel Wells, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
The Dolphins previously lowered Bradley Chubb’s cap hit by $19 million; his restructuring involved a pay cut.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pay
Verb
Con Edison also paid more than $130 million in charges associated with the 11-month outage at the plant.
—Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 22 Mar. 2025
School systems with weak property tax bases, including those in rural areas, depend on that money to pay teachers, pay for buses and buy classroom technology.
—Bianca Vázquez Toness, Chicago Tribune, 22 Mar. 2025
Noun
Failing to establish ground rules and expectations from the beginning can eat into your freelance business revenue because clients can take advantage of you, resulting in overwork without fair pay.
—Rachel Wells, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
The Dolphins previously lowered Bradley Chubb’s cap hit by $19 million; his restructuring involved a pay cut.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pay
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pay
Verb
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But to compensate for the gap in conventional capabilities and lower-yield nuclear weapons, Europe would have to rely on extended deterrence provided by its two nuclear states.—
Mark S. Bell,
Foreign Affairs,
31 Mar. 2025
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Trump has also referred to a rare earth minerals agreement as a way for the US to be compensated for the aid and military assistance sent to Ukraine.—
Lauren Kent,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The policy was met with public outcry and condemnation from pediatric associations, faith leaders, and even members of Trump’s party.—
Andy J. Semotiuk,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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And as of Thursday, nearly $8,000 of the $9,000 target had been met.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Some 650,000 visitors are expected to spend some time in the area over a month-long period.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
26 Mar. 2025
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But in real life, the British actor doesn’t spend much time thinking about money.—
Nicolas Vega,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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To draw 3% from a portfolio yielding 1.2%, cash in the dividends and also 1.8% of the shares.—
William Baldwin,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
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But, in general, a 1-inch piece of ginger will yield 1 Tablespoon, meaning three of these Dorot Gardens cubes.—
Katie Akin,
Southern Living,
22 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Maryland will hire a new athletic director, and that person will have the chance to decide what kind of department the state’s flagship university should have.—
Childs Walker,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Mar. 2025
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The Cincinnati Reds’ front office hired the future Hall of Fame manager last winter not just to improve upon last year’s 77-85 record, but also to push a talented young team over the top.—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The 2024 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees featured two iconic franchises whose financial privilege is challenging Major League Baseball to answer competitive balance questions and outcries for a salary cap.—
Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr.,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Instead, the Astros dumped his salary during their transformative winter.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Per Report Social Security Changes Position On Controversial Phone Service Cuts Interesting factoid #2: The first monthly Social Security payment was issued on January 31, 1940 to Ida May Fuller of Vermont, who had paid $24.75 into the system in 1937, 1938, and 1939.—
Eli Amdur,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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All this documentation will come in handy if your loan balance or payment history is reported inaccurately in the future.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Bank small-dollar loans: Growing in popularity, these are typically less than $1,000 and repaid in a few weeks or months.—
Medora Lee,
USA TODAY,
20 Mar. 2025
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The company completed the redemption of its Preferred Shares and repaid its Senior Notes, reflecting a focus on optimizing its capital structure.—
Quartz Intelligence Newsroom,
Quartz,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pay. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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