pay one's dues (English, verb)
expansion: pay one's dues (third-person singular simple present pays one's dues, present participle paying one's dues, simple past and past participle paid one's dues)
Senses:
glosses: To outlay money which is owed as a membership fee or price of admission.
glosses: To acquire status or to earn the right to enjoy certain benefits, especially through lengthy experience, hardship, or service to an organization.
tags: idiomatic
Forms:
form: pays one's dues
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: paying one's dues
tags: participle
present
form: paid one's dues
tags: participle
past
form: paid one's dues
tags: past