buy
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: enpr: bī
ipa: /baɪ/
ipa: [baɪ]
ipa: [bɑj]
ipa: [baɪ]
ipa: [bəj]
ipa: [bɑɪ]
rhymes: -aɪ
homophone: bi
homophone: bye
homophone: by
Forms: form: buys
form: buying
form: bought
form: bought
form: boughten
form: no-table-tags
form: glossary
form: buy
form: buy
form: bought
form: buyest
form: bought
form: boughtest
form: buys
form: buyeth
form: bought
form: -
form: bought
form: buy
form: bought
form: buy
form: -
form: buying
form: bought
form: boughten
form: buie
Etymology: From Middle English byen, from Old English bycġan (“to buy, pay for, acquire, redeem, ransom, procure, get done, sell”), from Proto-West Germanic *buggjan, from Proto-Germanic *bugjaną (“to buy”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰūgʰ- (“to bend”), or from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewgʰ- (“to take away, deliver”).
Cognate with Scots buy (“to buy, purchase”), obsolete Dutch beugen (“to buy”), Old Saxon buggian, buggean (“to buy”), Old Norse byggja (“to build, settle”), Gothic 𐌱𐌿𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bugjan, “to buy”). The spelling with “u” is from the Southwest, while the pronunciation with /aɪ/ is from the East Midlands.
Senses: examples: text: Who'd Father buy the car for? He boughtit for me, not for you.
text: Buy what thou hast no need of, and ere long thou wilt sell thy necessaries.
ref: 1793, Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography:
glosses: To obtain (something) in exchange for money or goods.
examples: text: I've bought material comfort by foregoing my dreams.
text: You just bought yourself an assault charge!
text: Buy the truth and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
ref: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 23:23:
glosses: To obtain, especially by some sacrifice.
examples: text: VVhat villaine, doſt ſtrike me? I ſweare by the rood,
As I am Iacke Strawe, thou ſhalt buy it with thy blood.
ref: 1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act I:
glosses: To suffer consequences for (something) through being deprived of something; to pay for (something one has done).
examples: text: He tried to buy me with gifts, but I wouldn't give up my beliefs.
text: After Bongino reiterated that Epstein killed himself, he was flooded with responses of disbelief. "WHO has bought the both of you?" one X user asked of Bongino and Patel, referencing the Fox News interview.
ref: 2025 May 20, Tal Axelrod, “MAGA faithful grow frustrated with Trump's Justice Department”, in Axios:
glosses: To bribe.
examples: text: The dollar doesn't buy as much as it used to.
glosses: To be equivalent to in value.
examples: text: I'm not going to buy your stupid excuses anymore!
text: People like to say that dead people look asleep, and maybe she would have bought that under different circumstances.
ref: 2020, Akwaeke Emezi, The Death of Vivek Oji, Faber & Faber Ltd, page 201:
synonyms: swallow
glosses: to accept as true; to believe
examples: text: She buys for Federated.
text: Let's go out for dinner. I'm buying.
glosses: To make a purchase or purchases, to treat (for a drink, meal or gift)
examples: text: Smith tried to buy the pot on the river with a huge bluff.
topics: card-games
poker
glosses: To make a bluff, usually a large one.
Synonyms: sense: obtain in exchange for money
word: cheap
sense: obtain in exchange for money
word: purchase
sense: accept as true
word: accept
sense: accept as true
word: believe
sense: accept as true
word: swallow
sense: accept as true
word: take on
sense: (intransitive) make a purchase
word: make a buy
word: aby
word: buy
word: procure
word: snap up
Hypernyms: word: receive
word: trade
Hyponyms: word: hire
word: rent
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: bought and paid for
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: bought priesthood
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: bring-and-buy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: bring-and-buy sale
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buyability
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buyable
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy a dog and bark oneself
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy and pay for
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy a pup
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy a ticket to
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy back
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy-back
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy-bust
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buycott
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy-down
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy down
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buyer
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy in
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy-in
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buying guide
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buying power
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buying temperature
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy into
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy it
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy low, sell high
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy off
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy-off
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy off on
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy out
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy-out
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy out from under
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy over
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy side
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy someone off
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy someone out
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy some time
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy straw hats in winter
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy the big one
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy the dip
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy the dips
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy the farm
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy the rabbit
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy the rack
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy the same horse twice
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy time
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy-to-let
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy to let
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy-to-play
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buyup
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy up
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buyware
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy when it snows and sell when it goes
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy when it snows, sell when it goes
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy with one's ears
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy wolf tickets
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy woof tickets
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: buy yourself a hat
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: can I buy you a drink
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: collective buying
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: cross-buy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: don't buy green bananas
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: forbuy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: forebuy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: group buying
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: I don't want to buy anything
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: impulse-buy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: impulse buy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: leveraged buy-out
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: money can't buy happiness
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: multibuy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: must-buy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: outbuy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: overbuy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: panic-bought
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: panic-buy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: prebuy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: rebuy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: shop-bought
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: store-bought
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: that and a nickel will buy you a cup of coffee
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: unbuy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: underbuy
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: vote buying
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: why buy a book when you can join a library
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: why buy a book when you can join the library
sense: Terms derived from buy (verb)
word: why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free
Related terms: word: aby
word: purchaser