pay¹ /pā/

1. To give what is due (in satisfaction of a debt, in exchange, in compensation or in remuneration, etc) to (the person, etc to whom it is owed)
2. To give (money, etc) in satisfaction of a debt, in exchange, compensation, remuneration, etc
3. To settle or discharge (a claim, bill, debt, etc)
4. To hand over money, etc, for
5. (of a sum of money, etc) to be or yield satisfactory remuneration or compensation for, or enough to discharge
6. To yield (a certain sum, profit, etc)
7. To be profitable to, to benefit
8. To render, confer (attention, heed, court, a visit, etc)
9. To satisfy, gratify (obsolete)
10. To thrash (Shakespeare and dialect)
11. (of a rope) to allow or cause to run out (nautical)

1. To hand over money or other equivalent, or compensation, etc (with for)
2. To afford to make payment, or constitute an equivalent or means of making payment (with for)
3. To be worth one's trouble
4. To be profitable
5. To suffer or be punished (with for)
6. To be the subject of payment

1. Satisfaction (obsolete)
2. Money given for service
3. Salary, wages
4. Receipt of wages, etc, service for wages, etc, hire or paid employment (esp for an evil purpose)
5. Payment or time of payment
6. Remunerative yield of mineral

paid adjective see separate entry

payˈable adjective

1. That may or should be paid
2. Due
3. Profitable

payeeˈ noun

Someone to whom money is paid

payˈer noun

payˈing noun and adjective

payˈment noun

1. The act of paying
2. The discharge of a debt by money or its equivalent in value
3. That which is paid
4. Recompense
5. Reward
6. Punishment

pay and display noun

A system of paying for parking in which a ticket is bought from a machine and displayed in the window of the parked vehicle

pay-and-displayˈ adjective

pay-as-you-earnˈ noun

A method of income tax collection in which the employer deducts tax from earnings before paying the employee (abbrev PAYE)

pay-as-you-goˈ adjective

1. (of mobile phones) denoting that the user, the outright purchaser of the phone, pays only for calls made, using credit bought in advance
2. (of other services, eg the Internet) denoting that charges are made only when the service is used

payback see pay back below.

payback period noun (economics)

The length of time a project will take to recover its initial outlay

pay bed noun

A bed, specif in a National Health Service hospital, available to a patient who pays for its use (private pay bed one available to a patient who pays for its use and for his or her own treatment; cf amenity bed)

payˈ-bill or payˈ-sheet noun

A statement of money to be paid to workmen, etc

payˈ-box or payˈ-desk noun

A box or desk at which a customer pays

payday noun

A regular day for payment, eg of wages

payday lender noun

A company that provides payday loans (see below)

payday loan noun

A short-term, high-interest loan, to be repaid on the borrower's next payday

pay dirt noun

1. Gravel or sand containing enough gold to be worth working (also pay gravel)
2. A source of riches

pay envelope noun (N American)

Pay packet

payˈfone same as payphone below.

paying guest noun (euphemistic)

A lodger

paylist see payroll below.

payˈload noun

1. That part of the cargo of an aeroplane or other conveyance for which revenue is obtained
2. The part of a rocket's equipment that is to fulfil the purpose of the rocket, such as a warhead, or apparatus for obtaining information

payˈmaster noun

1. The master who pays
2. The official in an organization, government, etc who pays out money

Paymaster General noun

1. The minister at the head of a department of the Treasury that makes payments on behalf of government departments
2. In the navy, an officer in charge of the bureau dealing with payments, clothing, etc (US)
3. Formerly also a similar officer in the army (US)

payment card noun

A credit card

payˈ-off noun

1. (time of) payment esp of a reward or punishment
2. Outcome
3. A particularly useful or desirable result
4. Dénouement

payˈ-office noun

The place where payments are made

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