{ "term": "pay", "partOfSpeech": "verb", "ox3000": true, "cefr": "a1", "verbForms": { "presentSimple": { "iYouWeThey": "pay", "heSheIt": "pays" }, "pastSimple": "paid", "pastParticiple": "paid", "ingForm": "paying" }, "definitions": [ { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "to give somebody money for work, goods, services, etc.", "sensetop": "pay for somethingpay somebody for somethingpay for somebody to do somethingpay somebodypay somebody somethingpay somethingpay by somethingpay (in) somethingpay something for somethingpay somebody/something to do somethingpay somebody something to do something", "cefr": "a1", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "Who's paying?" }, { "text": "I'll pay for the tickets.", "contextForm": "pay for something" }, { "text": "You **have to pay** extra for a single room." }, { "text": "Many consumers are **willing to pay** more for better service." }, { "text": "Let me pay you for your time.", "contextForm": "pay somebody for something" }, { "text": "Her parents paid for her to go to Canada.", "contextForm": "pay for somebody to do something" }, { "text": "Would you mind paying the taxi driver?", "contextForm": "pay somebody" }, { "text": "She's paid $200 a day.", "contextForm": "pay somebody something" }, { "text": "Let me pay the bill.", "contextForm": "pay something" }, { "text": "Are you paying by card?", "contextForm": "pay by something" }, { "text": "to pay (in) cash", "contextForm": "pay (in) something" }, { "text": "She pays £200 a week for this apartment.", "contextForm": "pay something for something" }, { "text": "I don't pay you to sit around all day doing nothing!", "contextForm": "pay somebody/something to do something" }, { "text": "I pay him £10 to clean the car.", "contextForm": "pay somebody something to do something" }, { "text": "How much did you pay for your new car?" }, { "text": "I would gladly pay for the benefits such a tax would bring." }, { "text": "The revenue will be used to help pay for environmental improvements." }, { "text": "Protesters against the tax carried banners reading ‘Can't pay! Won't pay!’" }, { "text": "You can expect to pay upwards of £200 a night at this exclusive hotel." }, { "text": "There's a 5% discount if you pay cash." }, { "text": "She pays her workers very well." } ], "topics": ["Money", "Shopping"], "collocations": { "adverb": ["handsomely", "well", "dearly"], "verb + pay": ["have to", "must", "be able to"], "preposition": ["for", "to"], "phrases": ["ability to pay"] } }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "to give somebody money that you owe them", "sensetop": "pay somethingpay something to somebodypay somebody something", "cefr": "a1", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "to **pay a fee/bill/fine/debt**", "contextForm": "pay something" }, { "text": "to **pay your rent**" }, { "text": "Everyone has to **pay** their **taxes**." }, { "text": "The union **paid** all her legal **costs**." }, { "text": "Membership fees should be paid to the secretary.", "contextForm": "pay something to somebody" }, { "text": "He still hasn't **paid** me **the money** he owes me.", "contextForm": "pay somebody something" }, { "text": "He was made bankrupt for failing to pay debts of over £2 million." }, { "text": "The company was ordered to pay the five workers £5 000 in compensation each." }, { "text": "It is for the courts to decide who is liable to pay damages." }, { "text": "We pay £300 a week to our landlord." }, { "text": "Have you paid him the rent yet?" } ], "topics": ["Money"], "collocations": { "adverb": ["handsomely", "well", "dearly"], "verb + pay": ["have to", "must", "be able to"], "preposition": ["for", "to"], "phrases": ["ability to pay"] } }, { "senseNumber": 3, "definition": "to give or provide a particular amount of money for the work that somebody does", "cefr": "a2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "Software firms generally pay well *(= pay high salaries)*." }, { "text": "jobs that pay less than £10 an hour" }, { "text": "I need to get a job that pays better." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 4, "definition": "used with some nouns to show that you are giving or doing the thing mentioned", "sensetop": "pay somethingpay something to something/somebodypay somebody something", "cefr": "a2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "Most of the students weren't **paying attention**.", "contextForm": "pay something" }, { "text": "The director **paid tribute to** all she had done for the charity.", "contextForm": "pay something to something/somebody" }, { "text": "He **paid a visit** to Japan last year." }, { "text": "The film **pays homage** to classic Hollywood musicals." }, { "text": "I'll **pay** you **a visit **when I'm next in town.", "contextForm": "pay somebody something" }, { "text": "He's always paying me compliments." }, { "text": "I paid a call on my friends." }, { "text": "When a friend tracks him down and pays him a call, Henry gives him a drubbing." }, { "text": "I didn't pay attention to what she was saying." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 5, "definition": "to produce a profit; to result in some advantage for somebody", "sensetop": "it pays to do somethingit pays somebody to do something", "cefr": "b2", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "It's hard to make farming pay." }, { "text": "Crime doesn't pay." }, { "text": "It pays to keep up to date with your work.", "contextForm": "it pays to do something" }, { "text": "It would probably pay you to hire an accountant.", "contextForm": "it pays somebody to do something" }, { "text": "Sometimes, the film tells us, crime does pay." }, { "text": "Doing business with the United States pays, and pays very well." }, { "text": "Learning pays in all sorts of ways—it can be the first step to a job or better job and to making new friends." } ], "topics": ["Money"] }, { "senseNumber": 6, "definition": "to suffer or be punished for your beliefs or actions", "sensetop": "pay for somethingpay with something", "examples": [ { "text": "You'll pay for that remark!", "contextForm": "pay for something" }, { "text": "He will **pay dearly** for what he did." }, { "text": "Many people paid with their lives *(= they died)*.", "contextForm": "pay with something" } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to cost/pay a lot of money", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "a lot of trouble", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "There'll be hell to pay when he finds out." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to pay careful attention to somebody/something", "labels": "(formal)", "examples": [ { "text": "They gave little heed to the rumours." }, { "text": "I paid no heed at the time but later I had cause to remember what he’d said." }, { "text": "Small businesses would be wise to take heed of the warnings contained in the Chancellor’s speech." }, { "text": "She took little heed of her surroundings." }, { "text": "They paid no heed to the advice." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "the person who provides the money for something can also control how it is spent", "labels": "(saying)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to give no attention to somebody/something", "labels": "(North American English)", "examples": [ { "text": "People call him names sometimes, but he doesn't pay them any mind." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to treat somebody with great respect in order to gain favour with them", "labels": "(old-fashioned)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "to work hard and gain experience, so that you deserve success or respect", "examples": [ { "text": "As a young actor, he paid his dues in small roles." }, { "text": "She is incredibly qualified and has paid her dues to become president." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "to do what is required or expected of you", "examples": [ { "text": "Vick paid his dues *(= completed his punishment)*, and since being released from prison has been a model citizen." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to save as much money as it cost", "examples": [ { "text": "The rail pass will pay for itself after about two trips." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used to emphasize that something cost(s) a lot of money, especially if the money is wasted", "examples": [ { "text": "I paid good money for this jacket, and now look at it—it's ruined!" } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to suffer because of bad luck, a mistake or something you have done", "examples": [ { "text": "He looked terrible this morning. I think he's paying the penalty for all those late nights." }, { "text": "They're now paying the price for past mistakes." }, { "text": "She thinks that any inconvenience is **a price worth paying** for living in such a beautiful place." }, { "text": "He's now paying the penalty for his misspent youth." }, { "text": "If Mac had killed Caroline, then he was going to make him pay the price." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to visit somebody or to send a message of good wishes as a sign of respect for them", "labels": "(formal)", "examples": [ { "text": "Many came to **pay their last respects** *(= by attending somebody's funeral)*." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to pay too much money for something", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to make enough money to pay what it costs to keep it going", "examples": [ { "text": "The bridge is still not paying its way." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to pay for everything yourself without having to rely on anyone else’s money", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to borrow money from one person to pay back what you owe to another person; to take money from one thing to use for something else", "labels": "(saying)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used for saying that there is very little difference between two or more things that you can choose", "labels": "(informal, especially British English)", "examples": [] } ], "pronunciations": { "uk": [ { "pronunciation": "/peɪ/", "audio": "pa/pay/pay__gb_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/peɪz/", "audio": "pa/pay/pays__gb_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/peɪd/", "audio": "pa/pay/paid__gb_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/ˈpeɪɪŋ/", "audio": "pa/pay/paying__gb_1.mp3" } ], "us": [ { "pronunciation": "/peɪ/", "audio": "pa/pay/pay__us_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/peɪz/", "audio": "pa/pay/pays__us_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/peɪd/", "audio": "pa/pay/paid__us_1.mp3" }, { "pronunciation": "/ˈpeɪɪŋ/", "audio": "pa/pay/paying__us_1.mp3" } ] }, "wordOrigin": "Middle English (in the sense ‘pacify’): from Old French paie (noun), payer (verb), from Latin pacare ‘appease’, from pax, pac- ‘peace’. The notion of ‘payment’ arose from the sense of ‘pacifying’ a creditor." }