Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense buys, present participle buying, past tense, past participle bought
1. verb
If you buy something, you obtain it by paying money for it.
He could not afford to buy a house. [VERB noun]
They can now be bought fresh in supermarkets. [VERB noun]
Lizzie bought herself a mountain bike. [V pron-refl n]
I'd like to buy him lunch. [VERB noun noun]
Synonyms: purchase, get, score [slang], secure More Synonyms of buy
2. verb
If you talk about the quantity or standard of goods an amount of money buys, you are referring to the price of the goods or the value of the money.
About £70,000 buys a habitable house around here. [VERB noun]
If the pound's value is high, British investors will spend their money abroad becausethe pound will buy them more. [VERB noun noun]
3. verb
If you buy something like time, freedom, or victory, you obtain it but only by offering or giving up something in return.
It was a risky operation, but might buy more time. [VERB noun]
For them, affluence was bought at the price of less freedom in their work environment. [VERB noun]
4. verb [usually passive]
If you say that a person can be bought, you are criticizing the fact that they will give their help or loyalty to someone in return for money.
[disapproval]
Once he shows he can be bought, they settle down to a regular payment. [beVERB-ed]
5. verb
If you buy an idea or a theory, you believe and accept it.
[informal]
I'm not buying any of that nonsense. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: accept, believe, trust, credit More Synonyms of buy
Buy into means the same as buy.
I bought into the popular myth that when I got the next house, I'd finally be happy. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
6. countable noun
If something is a good buy, it is of good quality and not very expensive.
This was still a good buy even at the higher price.
Synonyms: purchase, deal [informal], bargain, acquisition More Synonyms of buy
Phrasal verbs:
See buy into
See buy off
See buy out
See buy up
buy in British English
(baɪ)
verbWord forms: buys, buying or bought(mainly tr)
1.
to acquire by paying or promising to pay a sum of money or the equivalent; purchase
2.
to be capable of purchasing
money can't buy love
3.
to acquire by any exchange or sacrifice
to buy time by equivocation
4. (intransitive)
to act as a buyer
5.
to bribe or corrupt; hire by or as by bribery
6. slang
to accept as true, practical, etc
7. (intransitive; foll byinto)
to purchase shares of (a company)
we bought into General Motors
8. (transitive) theology
(esp of Christ) to ransom or redeem (a Christian or the soul of a Christian)
9. have bought it
noun
10.
a purchase (often in the phrases good or bad buy)
▶ USAGE The use of off after buy as in I bought this off my neighbour was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable in informal contexts
Word origin
Old English bycgan; related to Old Norse byggja to let out, lend, Gothic bugjan to buy
buy in American English
(baɪ)
verb transitiveWord forms: bought or ˈbuying
1.
to get by paying or agreeing to pay money or some equivalent; purchase
2.
to get as by an exchange
buy victory with human lives
3.
to be the means of purchasing
all that money can buy
4.
to bribe or hire as by bribing
5. US, Slang
to accept as true, valid, practical, etc.
I can't buy this excuse
6. Theology; Archaic
to redeem
verb intransitive
7.
to buy something
8.
to buy merchandise as a buyer
noun
9.
the act of buying; a purchase
10.
anything bought or buyable, esp. with reference to its worth as a bargain
a good (or bad) buy
11. US, Informal
something worth the price; bargain
Idioms:
buy in
buy into
buy it
buy off
buy out
buy time
buy up
Derived forms
buyable (ˈbuyable)
adjective
Word origin
ME bien < OE bycgan < ? IE base of bow1
More idioms containing
buy
buy the farm
Examples of 'buy' in a sentence
buy
I buy something to eat on the way home, cook it, watch TV, read a book.
Mark Burnell CHAMELEON (2002)
In a way...' `They're looking to buy something through an associate of yours.
Mark Burnell CHAMELEON (2002)
Two and a half billion dollars tended to buy respectability, regardless of how such a fortune was amassed.
Mark Burnell CHAMELEON (2002)
In other languages
buy
British English: buy /baɪ/ VERB
If you buy something, you obtain it by paying money for it.
He could not afford to buy a house.
American English: buy
Arabic: يَشتَري
Brazilian Portuguese: comprar
Chinese: 买
Croatian: kupiti
Czech: koupit
Danish: købe
Dutch: kopen
European Spanish: comprar
Finnish: ostaa
French: acheter
German: kaufen
Greek: αγοράζω
Italian: acquistare
Japanese: 買う
Korean: 사다
Norwegian: kjøpe
Polish: kupić
European Portuguese: comprar
Romanian: a cumpăra
Russian: покупать
Latin American Spanish: comprar
Swedish: köpa
Thai: ซื้อ
Turkish: satın almak
Ukrainian: купувати
Vietnamese: mua
All related terms of 'buy'
buy in
to buy back for the owner (an item in an auction ) at or below the reserve price
buy it
to die; specif., to be killed
buy up
If you buy up land, property, or a commodity , you buy large amounts of it, or all that is available.
buy off
If you say that a person or organization buys off another person or group, you are criticizing the fact that they are giving them something such as money so that they will not complain or cause trouble .
buy out
If you buy someone out , you buy their share of something such as a company or piece of property that you previously owned together .
bulk-buy
to buy (goods) in large quantities
buy-back
A buy-back is a situation in which a company buys shares back from its investors.
buy into
If you buy into a company or an organization, you buy part of it, often in order to gain some control of it.
buy time
→ gain time (sense 2 ) (at → time )
buy assets
The assets of a company or a person are all the things that they own.
buy forward
If you buy forward , you buy at a future date for a price agreed upon today .
impulse buy
something bought when prompted by a whim on seeing the product displayed
buy a plot
A plot of land is a small piece of land, especially one that has been measured or marked out for a special purpose , such as building houses or growing vegetables .
buy-to-let
of or relating to the practice of buying a property to let to tenants rather than to live in oneself
buy a stake
If you have a stake in something such as a business, it matters to you, for example because you own part of it or because its success or failure will affect you.
buy the farm
to die
buy-to-fret
denoting the practice of buying a property to let to tenants during a period when property values are falling
buy-back option
the option for a company to buy some or all of its shares from an investor, who acquired them by putting venture capital into the company when it was formed
bring-and-buy sale
A bring-and-buy sale is an informal sale to raise money for a charity or other organization. People who come to the sale bring things to be sold and buy things that other people have brought.
buy a pig in a poke
to buy , get , or agree to something without sight or knowledge of it in advance
lease with option to buy
A lease with option to buy is a lease that states that the person leasing the property has the right to purchase it at the end of the lease period .
to sow gapeseed
to stare in a gaping manner instead of attending to business
Chinese translation of 'buy'
buy
(baɪ)
Word forms:ptppbought
vt
买(買) (mǎi)
(Comm)[company]收购(購) (shōugòu)
(fig)[time, freedom]赢(贏)得 (yíngdé)
⇒ It was a risky operation, but might buy more time.这样做有风险，但可能会赢得更多的时间。 (Zhèyàng zuò yǒu fēngxiǎn, dàn kěnéng huì yíngdé gèng duō de shíjiān.)
n(c)
(= purchase) 所买(買)之物 (suǒ mǎi zhī wù) (件, jiàn)
⇒ Other good buys include cameras and toys.其他买来的好东西还包括相机和玩具。 (Qítā mǎi lái de hǎo dōngxi hái bāokuò xiàngjī hé wánjù.)
to buy sb sth给(給)某人买(買)某物 (gěi mǒurén mǎi mǒuwù)
to buy sb a drink请(請)某人喝一杯 (qǐng mǒurén hē yī bēi)
to buy sth from a shop从(從)店里(裡)购(購)买(買)某物 (cóng diàn li gòumǎi mǒuwù)
to buy sth off or from sb从(從)某人处(處)购(購)买(買)某物 (cóng mǒurén chù gòumǎi mǒuwù)
All related terms of 'buy'
buy in
( goods ) 买(買)进(進) mǎijìn
buy off
( bribe ) 贿(賄)赂(賂) huìlù
buy out
( business partner ) 全部通吃 quánbù tōngchī
buy up
( land, property ) 全部买(買)进(進) quánbù mǎijìn
buy back
回买(買) huímǎi
buy into
入股 rùgǔ
to buy sb sth
给(給)某人买(買)某物 gěi mǒurén mǎi mǒuwù
to buy sb a drink
请(請)某人喝一杯 qǐng mǒurén hē yī bēi
to buy sth on tick
赊(賒)账(賬)购(購)买(買)某物 shēzhàng gòumǎi mǒuwù
to buy/sell in bulk
( Comm ) 批量购(購)买(買)/销(銷)售 pīliàng gòumǎi/xiāoshòu
to buy sth from a shop
从(從)店里(裡)购(購)买(買)某物 cóng diàn li gòumǎi mǒuwù
to buy/sell sth cheap
廉价(價)买(買)/卖(賣)某物 liánjià mǎi/mài mǒuwù
to buy sth off or from sb
从(從)某人处(處)购(購)买(買)某物 cóng mǒurén chù gòumǎi mǒuwù
to buy/pay for sth on account
分期付款购(購)买(買)某物 fēnqī fùkuǎn gòumǎi mǒuwù
to buy/sell sth under the counter
私下买(買)/卖(賣)某物 sīxià mǎi/mài mǒuwù
I didn't buy quite as many as last time
我没(沒)买(買)上次那么(麼)多 wǒ méi mǎi shàng cì nàme duō
she wanted to buy a dress but not just any dress
她想买(買)件礼(禮)服，但要有点(點)特别(別)的那种(種) tā xiǎng mǎi jiàn lǐfú, dàn yào yǒudiǎn tèbié de nàzhǒng