1 a [no obj] : to give money for goods or services
▪ I already paid last week. ▪ Where do we pay to get in? ▪ Do we have to pay to park here? ▪ They left the restaurant without paying. ▪ Should I pay in dollars or pesos? ▪ We're trying to attract more paying customers [=customers that buy things from our company] through our Web site. ▪ paying passengers ▪ After their children left for college, they began opening their home to paying guests. [=people who give you money to live in your house with you for a short time] — often + for ▪ He offered to pay for our dinner. ▪ How will you be paying for your purchase: (in) cash, (by) check, or (with a) credit card? ▪ “That cheap camera I bought is broken already.” “Well, you get what you pay for.” [=a thing that can be bought for a very low price probably isn't very good]
b [+ obj] : to give money to (someone) for goods or services
▪ I'll pay the taxi driver. ▪ Has anyone paid her yet? ▪ We get paid on Fridays. ▪ The workers get paid well. = The workers are well-paid. — often followed by to + verb ▪ They're going to pay a crew to paint the house. ▪ You couldn't pay me to jump out of an airplane! [=I would never jump out of an airplane, even if you gave me a lot of money] — sometimes + in ▪ “Did he give you a check?” “No, he paid me in cash.” ▪ When he mowed her lawn, she paid him in cookies. [=she gave him cookies for mowing her lawn]
c [+ obj] : to give (something, such as an amount of money) for goods or services
▪ I paid $200 to him yesterday. = I paid him $200 yesterday. ▪ These workers are paid extremely low wages by their employers. ▪ She pays 15 percent (of her earnings) to her agent. ▪ I paid a lot of money for this car. ▪ How much are you willing to pay? ▪ They paid over $300,000 for their house. ▪ They paid a high price [=a lot of money] for that painting. ▪ I couldn't afford to pay cash, so I put it on my credit card. ▪ We paid good money [=we gave a large amount of money] to see this show, and we want our money's worth!
d — used to say how much someone earns for doing a job [no obj] ▪ My job doesn't pay very well. [=I don't earn much money from my job] ▪ It's difficult work that pays relatively poorly. ▪ high-paying jobs [+ obj] ▪ The job pays $150,000 a year. 2 [+ obj] : to give the money that you owe for (something)
▪ I can't afford to pay my rent. ▪ paying taxes/fines/penalties ▪ Use the company's financing plan and pay no interest for a full year. ▪ Has this bill been paid? ▪ The receipt shows that their bill has been paid in full. [=all of the money they owed has been paid] 3 : to have a good or helpful result : to be worth the expense or effort to do something [no obj] ▪ Hard work always pays [=pays off] in the long run. ▪ Crime doesn't pay. [=you get more trouble than benefit from committing a crime] — often followed by to + verb ▪ It pays [=it is worth the effort] to study your notes after every class. ▪ When the roads are icy, it pays to drive slowly. ▪ It pays to advertise. [+ obj] ▪ It pays stores to be open on the weekends. [=stores benefit from being open on the weekends] ▪ Spending a lot of money on advertising has paid dividends for our company. [=has given our company extra advantages or benefits] ▪ Our efforts are finally paying dividends. [=we are finally getting the results we want from our efforts] 4 [+ obj] : to give (a percentage of money) as the profit from an investment or business
▪ The investment paid eight percent last year. ▪ a savings account paying four percent interest 5 a [no obj] : to deal with the bad result of something that you did : to be punished for doing something
▪ If you offend him, he will make you pay. — often + for ▪ I'll make you pay for what you've done to me! ▪ You'll pay for this! ▪ She paid dearly for her mistakes. [=she suffered a lot as a result of her mistakes] ▪ He thinks that the people who committed these terrible crimes should pay with their lives. [=should be killed]
b [+ obj] : to give, lose, or suffer (something) as a punishment for or result of something else
▪ We all felt that 25 years in prison was a high/small price to pay for his crimes. ◊If you pay a/the price or pay a heavy/high/steep (etc.) price or (Brit) pay the penalty for something, you experience the bad effects or results of that thing.
▪ I knew the consequences of what I was about to do, but I was willing to pay the price. ▪ Famous people always pay a price for their fame. ▪ She paid a heavy price for telling the truth. ▪ Someone has to pay the penalty for these mistakes. 6 [+ obj] — used in various phrases that describe giving your attention to what is being done or said ▪ Are you paying attention? [=are you listening and trying to understand?] ▪ Remember to pay close attention to the instructions. ▪ He's just teasing you. Don't pay any attention to him. = Pay no attention to him. [=don't be upset by what he is saying] ▪ He kept talking but she paid him no mind. [=she didn't listen to what he said] ▪ Pay heed to what he says. [=listen to what he says] 7 [+ obj] — used to describe saying or doing something that expresses respect, admiration, etc., for someone ▪ She paid me a compliment. [=she said something nice about me] ▪ We gather here today to pay tribute/homage to [=to honor and praise] a great woman.