pay

Word family  noun pay payment repayment payer payee adjective paid ≠ unpaid underpaid ≠ overpaid payable verb pay repay underpay ≠ overpay

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Business, Wages

pay1 /peɪ/ ●●● S1 W1 verb (past tense and past participle paid /peɪd/)  1  give money 付钱 [intransitive, transitive]PAY FOR to give someone money for something you buy or for a service 付款；付钱给〔某人〕 How would you like to pay? 你想怎么付款？pay for Mum paid for my driving lessons. 妈妈支付了我驾驶课的学费。pay (in) cash You’d get a discount for paying cash. 现金付款有折扣。pay by cheque/credit card Can I pay by credit card? 我可以用信用卡付款吗？pay somebody for something He didn’t even offer to pay me for the ticket. 他甚至没有提出要给我买票的钱。pay somebody to do something Ray paid some kids to wash the car. 雷花钱雇了一些孩子洗车。pay somebody something I paid him $5 to cut the grass. 我付给他5美元叫他割草。pay (somebody) in dollars/euros etc He wanted to be paid in dollars. 他想收取美元。5 GRAMMAR 语法• The object of pay can be the person you give money to or the amount of money you give. pay 的宾语可以是支付的对象,或支付的数目I’ll pay you in advance.我会预先付款给你。• Do not use pay followed directly by a noun referring to the thing you are buying. Use pay (an amount of money) for something. 不要在pay后面直接跟你要买的东西,要用pay for sth 的形式 ，其中 pay 后可以跟一定数量的 钱I’ve already paid £700.我已经付了700英镑。I’ll pay for the tickets.我来买票。I paid £100 for this jacket.我花了100英镑买这件夹克衫。n GRAMMAR: Patterns with pay• You pay an amount or you pay a person: We paid $700.Pay the delivery man. • You pay for something that you buy: I’ll pay for the tickets. 我来买票。 ✗Don’t say: I’ll pay the tickets.• You pay an amount or a person for something that you buy: I paid £100 for this jacket. 我花了100英镑买这件夹克衫。She paid me for the drinks.• You pay someone an amount: They paid the owner €3,000.• You pay in a type of money: Can I pay in euros?• You pay by a particular method: You can pay by credit card. 我可以用信用卡付款吗？2  bill/tax/rent 账单/税/租金 [transitive]BPAY FOR to pay money that you owe to a person, company etc 偿还；交付；缴纳 I forgot to pay the gas bill! 我忘记交煤气费了！ You pay tax at the basic rate. 你按基本税率交税。 Is it okay if I pay you what I owe you next week? 我欠你的钱下周还行吗？3  wage/salary 工资/薪金 [intransitive, transitive]BEW to give someone money for the job they do 付酬（给） How much do they pay you? 他们付给你多少报酬？pay somebody $100 a day/£200 a week etc They’re only paid about £4 an hour. 他们每小时的报酬只有4英镑左右。 Some lawyers get paid over $400 an hour. 有些律师每小时收费超过400美元。be paid weekly/monthly (also get paid weekly/monthly) 我们每星期五领工资。 We get paid weekly on Fridays. 我们每星期五领工资。well/badly/poorly paid Many of the workers are very badly paid. 那些工人中有很多人工资非常低。paid work (=work you are paid to do) 有偿工作paid holiday/leave (=time when you are not working but are still paid) 带薪假期4  pay attention (to somebody/something) ATTENTIONto watch, listen to, or think about someone or something carefully （对某人/某事）注意 I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to what you were saying. 对不起，我没有仔细听你说的话。 They paid no attention to (=ignored) him. 他们不理会他。5  legal cost 法律要求的费用 [transitive] to give money to someone because you are ordered to by a court as part of a legal case 缴纳〔法庭要求支付的费用〕 She had to pay a £35 fine for speeding. 她必须缴纳35英镑超速罚款。pay (something in) compensation/damages (=give someone money because you have done something against them) 支付（…）赔偿金/损害赔偿金 The company were forced to pay £5,000 in compensation. 那家公司被迫支付了5,000英镑赔偿金。 Martins was ordered to pay court costs of £1,500. 马丁斯被勒令支付1,500英镑诉讼费。6  say STH good 说好话 [transitive] to say something good or polite about or to someone 表扬；问候 The minister paid tribute to the work of the emergency services. 部长表扬了应急服务部门的工作。 I came by to pay my respects (=visit or send a polite greeting to someone) to Mrs Owens. 我来拜访欧文斯夫人。 I was just trying to pay her a compliment. 我正想夸奖她。7  good result 好的结果 [intransitive]ADVANTAGE if a particular action pays, it brings a good result or advantage for you 合算，值得；有利，有好处 Crime doesn’t pay. 犯罪不会有好结果。 It pays to get some professional advice before you make a decision. 作决定之前征求一些专业性建议是有好处的。 It would pay you to ask if there are any jobs going at the London office. 问一下伦敦分公司是否有职位空缺对你有好处。 Getting some qualifications now will pay dividends (=bring a lot of advantages) in the long term. 长远来看，现在取得一些资格对将来有好处。8  profit 利润 [intransitive]PROFIT if a shop or business pays, it makes a profit 〔商店或公司〕赢利，有收益 If the pub doesn’t start to pay, we’ll have to sell it. 如果这家酒馆还没有开始赢利，我们将不得不把它卖掉。 The farm just manages to pay its way (=make as much profit as it costs to run). 那家农场仅能维持收支平衡。9  pay the penalty/price BAD BEHAVIOUR OR ACTIONSto experience something unpleasant because you have done something wrong, made a mistake etc 〔因犯错误等而〕吃苦头/付出代价pay the penalty/price for (doing) something Williams is now paying the price for his early mistakes. 威廉斯现在正为以前犯下的错误付出代价。10  pay (somebody) a call/visit VISITto visit a person or place 拜访（某人）；参观（某地） I decided to pay my folks a visit. 我决定去看望一下父母亲。pay (somebody) a call/visit to If you have time, pay a visit to the City Art Gallery. 如果你有时间，去参观一下市美术馆。11  put paid to something British English to stop something from happening or spoil plans for something 使某事落空，破坏某事的计划 Bad exam results put paid to his hopes of a university place. 糟糕的考试成绩让他上大学的希望破灭了。12  be punished 受到惩罚 [intransitive] to suffer or be punished for something you have done wrong 付出代价；遭受惩罚 I’ll make him pay! 我要让他付出代价！pay for They paid dearly for their mistakes. 他们为自己的错误付出了巨大的代价。13  pay your way PAY FORto pay for everything that you want without having to depend on anyone else for money 自食其力，经济上独立 Sofia worked to pay her way through college. 索菲娅自食其力读完了大学。14  pay for itself SAVE MONEYif something you buy pays for itself, the money it saves over a period of time is as much as the product cost to buy 够本，收益与成本相当 A new boiler would pay for itself within two years. 一台新锅炉用两年就够本了。15  the devil/hell to pay used to say that someone will be in a lot of trouble about something 大麻烦 If the boss finds out you were late again, there’s going to be hell to pay. 如果老板发现你又迟到，你可要遭殃了。16. pay through the nose (for something) spokenPAY FOR to pay much more for something than it is really worth （为某物）付费过高；（为某事）花费过大的代价17. somebody has paid their debt to society used to say that someone who has done something illegal has been fully punished for it 某人〔指违法者〕已受到应有的惩罚18. pay court (to somebody) old-fashioned to treat someone, especially a woman, carefully and with respect, so that they will like you or help you （向某人）大献殷勤，讨好（某人）〔尤指女人〕19. he who pays the piper calls the tune old-fashioned used to say that the person who gives the money for something can decide how it will be used 谁花钱谁说了算n20. pay it forward to do something nice for someone because someone else did something nice for you → pay lip service to at lip service, → pay your dues at due3(2) COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: to give someone money for something you buy or for a service 付款；付钱给〔某人〕nphrasespay £10/$50 etcI only paid ten pounds for it.pay (in) cashYou have to pay in cash for the tickets.pay by chequeI filled up with petrol and then paid by cheque.pay by credit cardThe hotel does not charge more if you pay by credit card.pay in dollars/euros etcAmerican exporters want to be paid in dollars.adverbspay handsomely (=pay a lot of money) 付出 （大笔款项）nCustomers are willing to pay handsomely for anti-ageing cosmetic products. THESAURUSpay to give someone money for something you are buying from them, or a service they are providing 付费；付酬I paid a lot of money for that computer. 买那台电脑我花了不少钱。You have to pay to park your car. 停车得付费。meet the cost of something to pay for something for someone else, or to provide the money needed to do something 为别人[某物]付钱We will meet the cost of your travelling expenses. 我们会支付你的差旅费。nThe cost will be met from public donations.foot the bill to pay for something for someone else, especially when you do not want to, or do not think that you should 为某人付钱〔尤指你不愿意或认为你不该付的情况〕As usual, the taxpayer will have to foot the bill. 还是老样子,纳税人要为此买单了。pick up the tab informal to pay for something 付账,买单My company will pick up the tab for all moving costs. 我公司要为所有的搬运费买单。fork out/shell out informal to pay a lot of money for something because you have to and not because you want to 不得不支付He had to fork out £500 to get his car fixed. 他只得花500英镑把车修好。nFans are having to shell out roughly $65 per seat for football games.settle the bill to pay the bill after eating a meal, staying in a hotel etc 〔用餐、住酒店等之后〕付款,结账She went down to the hotel lobby to settle the bill. 她下楼到酒店大堂结账。give especially spoken to pay a particular amount of money for something – used especially when saying how much you are willing to pay 付款,支付〔尤指愿意付多少钱〕How much will you give me for the car? 买这辆车你打算付我多少钱？I’ll give you $50 for the lot (=for everything). 这些一起算,我给你50美元。something is on somebody spoken used when saying that someone else will pay for your meal, drinks etc 某物由某人买单[付钱]Order whatever you like – this is on me! 随便点,我付账。The drinks are on the house (=the bar, restaurant etc will let you have them for free). 酒水饮料由店里请客。nPut your money away – the drinks are on us.n COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 3: to give someone money for the job they do 付酬（给）phrasespay somebody £200 a week/$100 a day etcThe cleaners are paid £5 an hour.be paid by the hour/day/weekI was working on a building site, being paid by the hour.adverbsbe paid weekly/monthlyMost of us get paid weekly or monthly.well-paidTeachers here are well-paid.highly-paida highly-paid football playerbadly-paid/poorly-paidFor a long time I didn’t realise how badly-paid and overworked I was. PHRASAL VERBS21 pay somebody/something ↔ back phrasal verb a) BFLPAY FORto give someone the money that you owe them 偿还〔欠款〕 SYN repay I’ll pay you back on Friday. 我星期五还你钱。 We’re paying back the loan over 15 years. 我们要在15年内还清贷款。b) REVENGEto make someone suffer for doing something wrong or unpleasant 报复pay somebody back for something I’ll pay Jenny back for what she did to me! 珍妮这样对待我，我要报复她！22 pay something ↔ in (also pay something into something) phrasal verb BFBto put money in your bank account etc 把〔钱〕存入〔银行账户等〕 Did you remember to pay that cheque in? 你记得把那张支票存进去了吗？ I’ve paid $250 into my account. 我已把250美元存入了我的账户。23 pay off phrasal verb a) pay something ↔ offBFPAY FOR to give someone all the money you owe them 付清[还清]债务 I’ll pay off all my debts first. 首先我要还清欠款。 He finally paid his overdraft off. 他终于还清了透支款。b) SUCCESSFULif something you do pays off, it is successful or has a good result 取得成功；奏效 Teamwork paid off. 团队合作成功了。c) pay somebody ↔ off British EnglishBEW to pay someone their wages and tell them they no longer have a job 付清工资解雇某人 Two hundred workers have been paid off. 两百名工人拿到工资被解雇了。d) pay somebody ↔ offSCC to pay someone not to say anything about something illegal or dishonest 用钱封住某人的嘴〔使其对非法或不诚实的事情保持沉默〕，付封口费 → payoff(2)24 pay out phrasal verb a) pay out (something)PAY FOR to pay a lot of money for something 付出 （大笔款项） Why is it always me who has to pay out? 为什么总得由我来付那么多钱？pay out (something) for Altogether he had paid out almost £5000 for the improvements. 他已经总共付出差不多5,000英镑的整修费用了。b) pay out (something) if a company or organization pays out, it gives someone money as a result of an insurance claim, investment, competition etc 〔公司或机构因保险理赔、投资、竞争等〕偿付，支付（钱款） Insurance companies were slow paying out on claims for flood damage. 保险公司在赔付洪水损害时拖拖拉拉。 → payoutc) pay something ↔ outLOOSE to let a piece of rope unwind 放出，松开 〔绳索〕25 pay something ↔ over phrasal verb BFSto make an official payment of money 正式支付 to Clancy’s share of the inheritance was paid over to him. 克兰西应得的那份遗产已经转到他名下了。26 pay up phrasal verb BFLPAY FORto pay money that you owe, especially when you do not want to or you are late 〔尤指不情愿或延迟〕付清，偿还〔欠款〕 She refused to pay up. 她拒绝偿还欠款。 → paid-up→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

pay• She paid $5,000 for three nights in a hotel in New York City.• Our fixed rate savings account currently pays 6.5% interest.• Several fans tried to get in without paying.• Although both of them worked hard, they couldn't make the business pay.• If I go out for a meal with my parents, they always pay.• Please pay at the desk.• Budgeting loans are paid back by weekly deductions from benefit.• So if a premium is paid before 6 April 1993, it may be treated as having been paid during 1990/91.• Pay by credit card at least ten days before departure.• She drank far too much at the party and paid dearly for it the next day.• It showed revenue of A $ 641. 1 million and paid dividends of 32 cents a share in the year.• Miller refused to testify and paid for it by being labelled a communist.• I like your new car - how much did you pay for it?• My company paid for me to go to evening classes.• She sent money to pay for my education.• Have you paid for the tickets?• She says she wouldn't pay it.• Of course you have to pay more if you want to travel in the summer.• If you earn below $6000, you pay no income tax.• Bartending can pay pretty well.• If you pay someone to work in your house, you have to pay Social Security taxes on the wages.• He always paid the banks, and he paid all other incontestable bills on time.• Because the insurance company was paying the defendant's costs, the contest would be unequal.• Have you paid the rent yet?• I need £4.50 to pay the window cleaner.• Bribes were paid to railroad officials, of course, but other towns paid bigger ones.• Jobs in areas that use mathematical skills, such as computer programming, tend to pay well.• Did she pay you for taking care of her kids?pay for• The Roald Dahl Foundation has provided funds to pay for a paediatric epilepsy nurse at the unit.• Let me pay for dinner this time.• This year I have paid for it.• People who sell drugs to our children should pay dearly for it.• And, unlike federal employees, they have no guarantee of pay for lost time.• And £22,730 will be used to help pay for repairs to bridge steps down to the riverside at Llangollen.• But getting health insurers to pay for the promised sessions is, in many cases, a losing struggle.• The system is overwhelmed by too many retirees and not enough younger workers to pay for their benefits.• A baseball player doesn't have to pay for transport.• I've spent the last three years in jail. I tell you, I've paid for what I did.pay ... bill• I suppose I began my first little businesses because my parents needed me to help pay the bills.• Once home, Shulman went inside while Kantor paid the bill.• Ordinary households at the bottom of the economic food chain were left to pay the bill.• They only escaped with about twenty five pounds, money which Mrs Selman had been saving to pay bills.• As a result, the people whose financial position makes it easiest to pay bills actually get the lowest-cost credit.• See who pays the bills or does a goddamn single thing for any one of you.• The obligation on the client of a solicitor is to pay the bill presented.• She paid her bill to the efficient receptionist and left the hospital.get paid• Did the company responsible get paid?• At the other end of the business, the actual drivers get paid a pittance out of what is left over.• The Grovel Industry, where you get paid danger money because it's so insecure.• I work for food.' I got paid for free.• That's what you get paid for, isn't it?• I told you I get paid for what I do.• Today, he is expected to get paid like one.• Coors will also get paid more for its waste beer under the new contract, he said.pay ... fine• A top adviser to the House leadership said Gingrich is quietly canvassing members about how to pay the fine.• In concluding he promised to go to prison rather than pay his fine.• It was either off the train or pay the fine.• Under his successors, it was also exploited as a source of revenue by allowing men to pay a fine for exemption.• Cole was not asked directly whether the speaker would have to pay the fine himself.• It was like a man convicted of forgery paying his fine with a dud £50 note.paid tribute to• Read in studio A coroner has paid tribute to a parachutist who sacrificed his own life to save a colleague.• John Motum, presenting his trophy, paid tribute to both the players and the coaches.• Friends paid tribute to Herrera's courage.• Dole paid tribute to Reagan, the two-term president who gained popularity as an anti-government politician in the 1980s.• Today their station commander paid tribute to the men.• The new Bishop also paid tribute to the Ministry of Bishop Harris over the past 14 years.• In declaring the factory open, paid tribute to the teamwork which went into the design and construction of the plant.• Fenner Brockway paid tribute to the understanding and respect for individual conscience shown by the state.• He rightly paid tribute to the West Midlands police for what they have done in this process.It pays to• If you are willing to pay the difference in price there is usually even more choice. It pays to inquire.pay its way• But today, guardians of the land are finding it rather more difficult to make sure the estate pays its way.• But, in spite of the considerable effort and investment, it has for many years failed to pay its way.• Government decided that the whole of the railway freight business should pay its way.• If education postpones such dependency it will have paid its way.• Britain was no longer paying its way in the world.• Octavia Hill believed, with most other Victorians, that housing should pay its way to her, housing subsidies were unthinkable.make ... pay• This makes paying attention to a task in a busy schoolroom very difficult.• They should be made to pay for cleaning it up.• This includes a reminder that any person caught swearing must be made to pay for it.• Suddenly, I want to punish him, to make him pay for my invisibility.• How it could have been made to pay is a mystery.• Enquiries should be made from the pay kiosk or general office.• Abolish the present inheritance tax and make recipients pay on gifts above a certain band as income.

Related topics: Wages

pay2 ●●● S1 W2 noun [uncountable]  1  BEWmoney that you are given for doing your job 工资，薪金 Staff have been working without pay for the last month. 上个月员工们干活没拿到工资。 The tax is deducted from your pay every week. 这项税收每星期从你薪水中扣。 He was suspended on full pay until the hearing. 聆讯之前他停职留薪。► see thesaurus at salary2  in the pay of somebody writtenWORK FOR somebody someone who is in someone else’s pay is working for them, often secretly 〔多指秘密地〕受雇于某人的 an informer in the pay of the police 一名警方雇用的线人 COLLOCATIONSADJECTIVES/NOUN + paylow 低的Nurses often work long hours for relatively low pay. 护士往往工作时间长,而工资相对较低。good 相当高的The work was steady and the pay was pretty good. 这工作稳定,薪水相当不错。higher/better 更高的Workers demanded higher pay. 工人要求提高工资。equal pay (=the same pay for the same type of work) 平等的工资The women at the factory went on strike for equal pay. 这家工厂的女工为争取同工同酬而举行罢工。basic pay British English, base pay American English (=not including overtime pay or bonuses) 底薪nThe basic pay is so low you end up doing lots of overtime.take-home pay (=after tax etc has been taken away) 税后工资nTheir average take-home pay is just £120.overtime pay (=for extra hours that you work) 加班工资nTheir bosses had to approve any overtime pay.holiday pay British English, vacation pay American English (=pay when you are on holiday) 休假工资nServicemen and women get no holiday pay, no overtime, no weekends off. sick pay (=pay when you are ill) 病假工资nAs a self-employed person, you get no sick pay or benefits.maternity pay (=pay while a woman takes time off to have a baby) 产假工资nIf you have worked here a year, you are entitled to 3 month’s maternity pay.redundancy pay British English, severance pay American English (=pay when there is no longer a job for you) 裁员补偿金nWe invested our redundancy pay in a new business venture.full pay 全额工资,全薪nThey were immediately suspended on full pay pending a full inquiry.half pay 半薪nIn 1822 he retired from the army as captain on half pay.pay + NOUNa pay increase 加薪Teachers will be awarded a 6% pay increase this year. 今年教师将得到6%的加薪作为奖励。a pay rise British English, pay raise American English 加薪If you get promoted, will you get a pay rise? 如果你升职了,会涨工资吗？a pay cut 减薪Staff were asked to take a 10% pay cut. 员工被要求接受10%的减薪。a rate of pay (also a pay rate) (=the amount paid every hour, week etc) 工资率Many workers in the catering industry are on low rates of pay. 饮食服务业的许多员工工资率较低。a pay cheque British English, a paycheck American English (=the money you earn every week or month) 工资,薪金nStretching your money until the next pay cheque arrives often becomes difficult.a pay freeze (=when no one’s pay is increased) 工资冻结nMinisters have approved a public sector pay freeze.a pay claim British English (=official request for more pay) 加薪要求nThe miners voted for strike action in support of their pay claim. a pay dispute (=disagreement between an employer and employees about pay) 工资纠纷nMany flights were cancelled because of a pilots’ pay dispute.npay and conditions (=the conditions in which people work and the pay they get)The unions are demanding better pay and conditions.COMMON ERRORS ► Don’t say ‘the salary pay’. Just say the pay. 不要说 ‘the salary pay’. 而只需说 the pay.n THESAURUSincome money that you receive from working, investments etcfamilies on a low incomesalary the pay that professional people such as teachers or lawyers earn every yeara salary of $65,000 a yearwages the pay that someone earns every hour or every weekHer wages barely cover the rent.bonus money added to someone’s pay, as a reward for good work or as a reward when the company does wellThe company pays an attendance bonus – if you go 30 days without being late or absent, you get the bonus.earnings all the money that you earn by workingIn a good year, a bonus can double an executive’s earnings.

Examples from the Corpus

pay• The new chief executive acknowledged he would be taking a pay cut.• Most of all, they need equal pay and comparable worth.• To raise his wage without raising his marginal productivity would be to put his pay above his contribution.• Staff unions and many councillors last year attacked large pay increases for senior staff in all departments.• The worst thing about being a nurse is the low pay.• Joe's been receiving sick pay since the accident.• If entitlements are exceeded, the system will issue the relevant warning message and stop pay.• For four years running, the Government's teachers' pay committee has reported that teachers' morale has never been lower.• "What's the pay?" "About $10 an hour."• For most fast-food workers, the pay is around $5 an hour.• If women were evenly distributed across the spectrum of employment, their pay levels would be much closer to those of men.From Longman Business Dictionarypaypay1 /peɪ/ noun [uncountable] the money someone receives for the job they doShe got the job, but it meant a big pay cut.an increase in hourly payAll I want is a full day’s work for a full day’s pay.Thebasic pay (=the usual amount, without any extra) is so low you end up putting in overtime. → see also equal pay → back pay → callback pay → differential pay → free pay → holiday pay → maternity pay → paternity pay → performance-related pay → premium pay → reporting pay → sick pay → strike pay → take-home pay → vacation paypaypay2 verb (past tense and past participle paid)1[intransitive, transitive] to give a person or company money for a product or service they have suppliedHow much can you afford to pay?GM won’t pay a Christmas bonus to salaried employees next year.pay forFarmers desperately need hard credit to pay for seed and fertilizer.The proportion of shoppers willing to pay more for special brands has fallen sharply.pay somebody for somethingUnited has agreed to pay Pan Am $290 million for its London routes.2pay for itself if something you buy pays for itself, the money it saves over a period of time is as much as it costInvestment in energy efficiency will pay for itself in two years due to the amount of fuel saved.3pay its wayCOMMERCE if a machine or business activity pays its way, it makes more money than it costs to runThe SBS television channel is permitted to run limited advertising to help pay its way.4pay through the nose (for something) informal to pay much more for something than it is really worthFinance people have paid through the nose for consultants in recent years.5[transitive]FINANCE to give a person or company money you owe themCelutel has been trying to raise cash topay debt.The association has set up the loan fund to help its members pay fines.Shoppers in Newfoundlandpay 19%tax on purchases of goods and services. 6[intransitive, transitive] to give someone money for the job they doCane cutters here are paid about $1.50 per ton.attempts by management not to pay employees overtime7[transitive]FINANCE if investments pay a particular amount of money or rate of interest, the investors who own them will receive that amount of profitOur Gold Account is currently paying a 5.3%interest rate.All the current junk bonds pay cash interest.Under the current deal, BBDO stock is paying about 10 times last year’s earnings.8[intransitive]COMMERCE if a shop or business pays, it makes a profitIf the Chinese can ship this equipment 12,000 miles, how is it that British industry cannot make it pay? → pay somebody/something ↔ back → pay down something → pay something in → pay off → pay something ↔ out → pay up→ See Verb tableOrigin pay1 (1100-1200) Old French paier, from Latin pacere “to make calm or peaceful”, from pax; → PEACE

pay1 verb →10-20
→5 GRAMMAR1 →n GRAMMAR2 →COLLOCATIONS1 →n COLLOCATIONS2
→THESAURUS1 →PHRASAL VERBS1pay2 noun →COLLOCATIONS1 →n THESAURUS1LDOCE OnlineChinese  

give you Corpus for Business something someone to money

pay

I

pay¹ S1 W1 /peɪ/ verb (past tense and past participle paid /peɪd/)1.  GIVE MONEY  [intransitive and transitive] to give someone money for something you buy or for a service:
    How would you like to pay?
    pay for
    Mum paid for my driving lessons.
    pay (in) cash
    You’d get a discount for paying cash.
    pay by cheque/credit card
    Can I pay by credit card?
    pay somebody for something
    He didn’t even offer to pay me for the ticket.
    pay somebody to do something
    Ray paid some kids to wash the car.
    pay somebody something
    I paid him $5 to cut the grass.
    pay (somebody) in dollars/euros etc
    He wanted to be paid in dollars.
  GRAMMAR
    The object of pay can be the person you give money to or the amount of money you give:
   ▪ I’ll pay you in advance.
   ▪ I’ve already paid £700.
    ► Do not use pay followed directly by a noun referring to the thing you are buying. Use pay (an amount of money) for something:
   ▪ I’ll pay for the tickets.
   ▪ I paid £100 for this jacket.
2.  BILL/TAX/RENT  [transitive] to pay money that you owe to a person, company etc:
    I forgot to pay the gas bill__
    You pay tax at the basic rate.
    Is it okay if I pay you what I owe you next week?
3.  WAGE/SALARY  [intransitive and transitive] to give someone money for the job they do:
    How much do they pay you?
    pay somebody $100 a day/£200 a week etc
    They’re only paid about £4 an hour.
    Some lawyers get paid over $400 an hour.
    be paid weekly/monthly (also get paid weekly/monthly)
    We get paid weekly on Fridays.
    well/badly/poorly paid
    Many of the workers are very badly paid.
    paid work (=work you are paid to do)
    paid holiday/leave (=time when you are not working but are still paid)
4. pay attention (to somebody/something) to watch, listen to, or think about someone or something carefully:
    I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to what you were saying.
    They paid no attention to (=ignored) him.
5.  LEGAL COST  [transitive] to give money to someone because you are ordered to by a court as part of a legal case:
    She had to pay a £35 fine for speeding.
    pay (something in) compensation/damages (=give someone money because you have done something against them)
    The company were forced to pay £5,000 in compensation.
    Martins was ordered to pay court costs of £1,500.
6.  SAY SOMETHING GOOD  [transitive] to say something good or polite about or to someone:
    The minister paid tribute to the work of the emergency services.
    I came by to pay my respects (=visit or send a polite greeting to someone) to Mrs Owens.
    I was just trying to pay her a compliment.
7.  GOOD RESULT  [intransitive] if a particular action pays, it brings a good result or advantage for you:
    Crime doesn’t pay.
    It pays to get some professional advice before you make a decision.
    It would pay you to ask if there are any jobs going at the London office.
    Getting some qualifications now will pay dividends (=bring a lot of advantages) in the long term.
8.  PROFIT  [intransitive] if a shop or business pays, it makes a profit:
    If the pub doesn’t start to pay, we’ll have to sell it.
    The farm just manages to pay its way (=make as much profit as it costs to run).
9. pay the penalty/price to experience something unpleasant because you have done something wrong, made a mistake etc
    pay the penalty/price for (doing) something
    Williams is now paying the price for his early mistakes.
10. pay (somebody) a call/visit to visit a person or place:
    I decided to pay my folks a visit.
    pay (somebody) a call/visit to
    If you have time, pay a visit to the City Art Gallery.
11. put paid to something British English to stop something from happening or spoil plans for something:
    Bad exam results put paid to his hopes of a university place.
12.  BE PUNISHED  [intransitive] to suffer or be punished for something you have done wrong:
    I’ll make him pay__
    pay for
    They paid dearly for their mistakes.
13. pay your way to pay for everything that you want without having to depend on anyone else for money:
    Sofia worked to pay her way through college.
14. pay for itself if something you buy pays for itself, the money it saves over a period of time is as much as the product cost to buy:
    A new boiler would pay for itself within two years.
15. the devil/hell to pay used to say that someone will be in a lot of trouble about something:
    If the boss finds out you were late again, there’s going to be hell to pay.
16. pay through the nose (for something) spoken to pay much more for something than it is really worth
17. somebody has paid their debt to society used to say that someone who has done something illegal has been fully punished for it
18. pay court (to somebody) old-fashioned to treat someone, especially a woman, carefully and with respect, so that they will like you or help you
19. he who pays the piper calls the tune old-fashioned used to say that the person who gives the money for something can decide how it will be used
⇨ pay lip service to at lip service, ⇨ pay your dues at due²(2)
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 1)

■ phrases
   ▪ pay £10/$50 etc I only paid ten pounds for it.
   ▪ pay (in) cash You have to pay in cash for the tickets.
   ▪ pay by cheque I filled up with petrol and then paid by cheque.
   ▪ pay by credit card The hotel does not charge more if you pay by credit card.
   ▪ pay in dollars/euros etc American exporters want to be paid in dollars.
■ adverbs
   ▪ pay handsomely (=pay a lot of money) Customers are willing to pay handsomely for anti-ageing cosmetic products.
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meaning 3)

■ phrases
   ▪ pay somebody £200 a week/$100 a day etc The cleaners are paid £5 an hour.
   ▪ be paid by the hour/day/week I was working on a building site, being paid by the hour.
■ adverbs
   ▪ be paid weekly/monthly Most of us get paid weekly or monthly.
   ▪ well-paid Teachers here are well-paid.
   ▪ highly-paid a highly-paid football player
   ▪ badly-paid/poorly-paid For a long time I didn’t realise how badly-paid and overworked I was.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ pay to give someone money for something you are buying from them, or a service they are providing: I paid a lot of money for that computer. | You have to pay to park your car.
   ▪ meet the cost of something to pay for something for someone else, or to provide the money needed to do something: We will meet the cost of your travelling expenses. | The cost will be met from public donations.
   ▪ foot the bill to pay for something for someone else, especially when you do not want to, or do not think that you should: As usual, the taxpayer will have to foot the bill.
   ▪ pick up the tab informal to pay for something: My company will pick up the tab for all moving costs.
   ▪ fork out/shell out informal to pay a lot of money for something because you have to and not because you want to: He had to fork out £500 to get his car fixed. | Fans are having to shell out roughly $65 per seat for football games.
   ▪ settle the bill to pay the bill after eating a meal, staying in a hotel etc: She went down to the hotel lobby to settle the bill.
   ▪ give especially spoken to pay a particular amount of money for something – used especially when saying how much you are willing to pay: How much will you give me for the car? | I’ll give you $50 for the lot (=for everything).
   ▪ something is on somebody spoken used when saying that someone else will pay for your meal, drinks etc: Order whatever you like – this is on me__ | The drinks are on the house (=the bar, restaurant etc will let you have them for free). | Put your money away – the drinks are on us.
     
pay somebody/something ↔ back phrasal verb
  1. to give someone the money that you owe them
   SYN  repay:
    I’ll pay you back on Friday.
    We’re paying back the loan over 15 years.
  2. to make someone suffer for doing something wrong or unpleasant
    pay somebody back for something
    I’ll pay Jenny back for what she did to me__
pay something ↔ in (also pay something into something) phrasal verb
  to put money in your bank account etc:
    Did you remember to pay that cheque in?
    I’ve paid $250 into my account.
pay off phrasal verb
  1. pay something ↔ off to give someone all the money you owe them:
    I’ll pay off all my debts first.
    He finally paid his overdraft off.
  2. if something you do pays off, it is successful or has a good result:
    Teamwork paid off.
  3. pay somebody ↔ off British English to pay someone their wages and tell them they no longer have a job:
    Two hundred workers have been paid off.
  4. pay somebody ↔ off to pay someone not to say anything about something illegal or dishonest
  ⇨ payoff(2)
pay out phrasal verb
  1. pay out (something) to pay a lot of money for something:
    Why is it always me who has to pay out?
    pay out (something) for
    Altogether he had paid out almost £5000 for the improvements.
  2. pay out (something) if a company or organization pays out, it gives someone money as a result of an insurance claim, investment, competition etc:
    Insurance companies were slow paying out on claims for flood damage. ⇨ payout
  3. pay something ↔ out to let a piece of rope unwind
pay something ↔ over phrasal verb
  to make an official payment of money
    pay something ↔ over to
    Clancy’s share of the inheritance was paid over to him.
pay up phrasal verb
  to pay money that you owe, especially when you do not want to or you are late:
    She refused to pay up. ⇨ paid-up

II

pay² S1 W2 noun [uncountable]1. money that you are given for doing your job:
    Staff have been working without pay for the last month.
    The tax is deducted from your pay every week.
    He was suspended on full pay until the hearing.
2. in the pay of somebody written someone who is in someone else’s pay is working for them, often secretly:
    an informer in the pay of the police
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + pay
   ▪ low Nurses often work long hours for relatively low pay.
   ▪ good The work was steady and the pay was pretty good.
   ▪ higher/better Workers demanded higher pay.
   ▪ equal pay (=the same pay for the same type of work) The women at the factory went on strike for equal pay.
   ▪ basic pay British English, base pay American English (=not including overtime pay or bonuses) The basic pay is so low you end up doing lots of overtime.
   ▪ take-home pay (=after tax etc has been taken away) Their average take-home pay is just £120.
   ▪ overtime pay (=for extra hours that you work) Their bosses had to approve any overtime pay.
   ▪ holiday pay British English, vacation pay American English (=pay when you are on holiday) Servicemen and women get no holiday pay, no overtime, no weekends off.
   ▪ sick pay (=pay when you are ill) As a self-employed person, you get no sick pay or benefits.
   ▪ maternity pay (=pay while a woman takes time off to have a baby) If you have worked here a year, you are entitled to 3 month’s maternity pay.
   ▪ redundancy pay British English, severance pay American English (=pay when there is no longer a job for you) We invested our redundancy pay in a new business venture.
   ▪ full pay They were immediately suspended on full pay pending a full inquiry.
   ▪ half pay In 1822 he retired from the army as captain on half pay.
■ pay + NOUN
   ▪ a pay increase Teachers will be awarded a 6% pay increase this year.
   ▪ a pay rise British English, pay raise American English If you get promoted, will you get a pay rise?
   ▪ a pay cut Staff were asked to take a 10% pay cut.
   ▪ a rate of pay (also a pay rate) (=the amount paid every hour, week etc) Many workers in the catering industry are on low rates of pay.
   ▪ a pay cheque British English, a paycheck American English (=the money you earn every week or month) Stretching your money until the next pay cheque arrives often becomes difficult.
   ▪ a pay freeze (=when no one’s pay is increased) Ministers have approved a public sector pay freeze.
   ▪ a pay claim British English (=official request for more pay) The miners voted for strike action in support of their pay claim.
   ▪ a pay dispute (=disagreement between an employer and employees about pay) Many flights were cancelled because of a pilots’ pay dispute.
   ▪ pay and conditions (=the conditions in which people work and the pay they get) The unions are demanding better pay and conditions.
■ COMMON ERRORS
    ► Do not say 'the salary pay'. Just say the pay.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ income money that you receive from working, investments etc: families on a low income
   ▪ salary the pay that professional people such as teachers or lawyers earn every year: a salary of $65,000 a year
   ▪ wages the pay that someone earns every hour or every week: Her wages barely cover the rent.
   ▪ bonus money added to someone’s pay, as a reward for good work or as a reward when the company does well: The company pays an attendance bonus – if you go 30 days without being late or absent, you get the bonus.
   ▪ earnings all the money that you earn by working: In a good year, a bonus can double an executive’s earnings.