pay
pay
Pronunciation
/peɪ/.
Here's a breakdown of the sounds in the single syllable:
/p/: Voiceless bilabial plosive
/eɪ/: Diphthong, starting with a mid-front unrounded vowel and gliding towards a high-front unrounded vowel.
Word Form Variations
As a Verb:
Base Form (Infinitive): pay (e.g., "to pay the bill")
Present Simple (Third Person Singular): pays (e.g., "He pays his taxes.")
Present Participle / Gerund: paying (e.g., "She is paying," or "Paying taxes is necessary.")
Past Simple: paid (e.g., "I paid for the groceries yesterday.")
Past Participle: paid (e.g., "The bill has been paid.")
As a Noun:
Singular: pay (e.g., "The pay is good here.")
Plural (less common in this sense, but possible in specific contexts): pays (e.g., "The various pays offered across different industries vary greatly." - This is less common and often replaced with "types of pay" or "salaries/wages.")
Related Noun Forms (derived from "pay" or closely associated with it):
Payment: (singular) The act of paying or the amount paid.
Payments: (plural) Multiple instances or amounts of payment.
Paycheck: (singular) A check for salary or wages.
Paychecks: (plural) Multiple paychecks.
Payroll: (singular) A list of employees and their salaries.
Payrolls: (plural) Multiple payrolls (e.g., of different companies).
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Pay (Noun)
Definition: Remuneration or compensation received for work or services rendered, typically in the form of wages or salary. This refers to the regular income an individual earns from employment.
Synonyms: salary, wages, income, earnings, stipend, remuneration, compensation, emolument
Antonyms: debt, expense, arrears, outstanding balance, nonpayment
Definition: The act or process of settling a financial obligation, such as a bill or a debt.
Synonyms: payment, settlement, remittance, disbursement, outlay
Antonyms: default, nonpayment, repudiation, forfeiture
Definition: (Informal) A return or benefit, often intangible, gained from an effort or action.
Synonyms: benefit, reward, dividend, return, profit, advantage
Antonyms: loss, cost, penalty, detriment, disadvantage
Pay (Verb)
Definition: To give money or an equivalent in exchange for goods, services, or to discharge a debt.
Synonyms: compensate, settle, reimburse, remunerate, clear, discharge, remit, satisfy, defray
Antonyms: owe, borrow, receive, take, withhold, default, repudiate
Definition: To yield a profit or benefit; to be worthwhile or advantageous.
Synonyms: profit, benefit, yield, return, be advantageous, be profitable
Antonyms: lose, fail, cost, be disadvantageous, be unprofitable
Definition: To suffer the consequences or undergo a penalty for an action, particularly a negative one.
Synonyms: suffer, atone, answer (for), bear (the consequences), be punished
Antonyms: escape, avoid, be acquitted, be rewarded, benefit
Definition: To give or bestow attention, respect, or a compliment. (Often used in fixed phrases like "pay attention," "pay respects.")
Synonyms: give, bestow, accord, confer, grant, offer
Antonyms: ignore, disregard, neglect, withhold, deny
Definition: (Nautical, often with "out") To slacken or let out a rope or cable gradually.
Synonyms: slacken, loosen, release, uncoil, unreel
Antonyms: tighten, pull in, coil, reel in, secure
Examples of Use
Books:
"His gaze lingered on the empty plate. He had to pay for his carelessness now." (J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
"But the problem with doing things for love is that you don't always get to pay your rent." (Rebecca Solnit, Men Explain Things to Me)
Newspapers:
"The government has announced plans to pay civil servants a 10% bonus this December." (Daily Nation)
"Consumers will pay more for electricity next quarter due to rising fuel costs." (The Wall Street Journal)
Online Publications:
"How much should you pay for a good cup of coffee in Nairobi?" (Blog post, Nairobi Life)
"Tech giants continue to pay top dollar for skilled cybersecurity professionals." (Wired.com)
"Artists are demanding better pay and fairer contracts from streaming services." (Pitchfork.com)
Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "You're going to pay for this, you hear me?" (Dialogue from the film John Wick: Chapter 4)
Television: "We pay tribute to the fallen heroes in tonight's special episode." (CNN)
Music: "I gotta pay my dues, but I'll make it to the top." (Lyrics from a popular hip-hop song)
Video Games: "To unlock this character, you need to pay 500 in-game coins." (Fortnite, various dates)
General Public Discourse:
"Are you sure you can pay for all this?" (Spoken by a parent to a child at a grocery store)
"We have to pay close attention to the details." (Spoken by a project manager during a team meeting)
"It's going to pay off in the long run, trust me." (Spoken by a friend offering advice)
"What's the pay like at your new job?" (Spoken by a friend asking about salary)
10 Quotes Using Pay
"It is an old maxim and a very sound one, that he that dances should always pay the fiddler." (Abraham Lincoln)
"If you can't pay for a thing, don't buy it." (Benjamin Franklin)
"Sooner or later we have all to pay for what we do." (Oscar Wilde)
"A person of character takes as much trouble to discover what is right as the lesser men take to discover what will pay." (Confucius)
"I have already been paid for. And what I need to do is prepare myself so that I can pay for someone else who has yet to come but who may be here and needs me." (Maya Angelou)
"Freedom is never dear at any price. It is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for living?" (Mahatma Gandhi)
"You always pay a price for fear." (Stephen King)
"Tokenism is a promise to pay. Democracy, in its finest sense, is payment." (Martin Luther King Jr.)
"We will never have real safety and security for the wage earners unless we provide for safety and security for the wage payers and the wage savers, investors, and then, by all means, protection for both against reckless wasters and wage spender1s." (Winston Churchill)
"Pay every debt as if God wrote the bill." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Etymology
The word "pay" has a pretty interesting journey through language! It actually comes from an idea of making things "peaceful" or "satisfied."
Let's break it down:
The English word "pay" comes from the Middle English word "payen." This, in turn, was borrowed from the Old French word "paiier," which meant "to pay" or "to pay up."
The French word itself originated from the Medieval Latin term "pacare," which meant "to settle" or "to satisfy." And this Medieval Latin word ultimately comes from the Classical Latin word "pacare," which literally meant "to pacify" or "to make peaceful." This Latin root "pacare" is also where we get words like "peace" (from pax, meaning "peace").
So, the very first known meaning of the word "pay" (or its ancestors) was linked to the idea of appeasing or satisfying someone, often by settling a debt. Imagine it like this: by "paying" someone what was owed, you would bring about "peace" or "satisfaction" and resolve the situation.
This initial sense of "to pacify" or "to satisfy" was present in English by the early 13th century. Over time, that specific meaning faded, and the more common meaning of giving money or something of value in exchange for goods, services, or to settle a debt became the primary use, appearing in English around the early 13th century as well.
It's neat how a word that now so strongly means "money for work" or "settling a bill" originally had roots in the idea of creating a peaceful resolution by fulfilling an obligation!
Phrases + Idioms Containing Pay
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "pay":
Pay attention: To focus or concentrate.
Pay your dues: To earn something through hard work or suffering.
Pay through the nose: To pay an excessively high price.
Pay the piper: To suffer the unpleasant consequences of one's actions.
Pay a compliment: To praise someone.
Pay respect(s): To show admiration or honor to someone.
Pay as you go: To pay for expenses or services as they are incurred, rather than on credit.
Pay dirt: A place where something valuable is found, or an effort that yields a desired result.
Pay lip service: To express agreement or support for something without genuinely supporting it.
Pay back: To return money owed, or to get revenge.
Pay off: To yield a profit or benefit, or to bribe someone, or to fully settle a debt.
Pay your way: To earn enough money to cover your own expenses.
Pay up: To give someone the money that is owed.
Pay dearly: To suffer greatly as a result of an action.
Pay court: To give flattering attention to someone, often to gain favor.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of pay from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
