pay for itself

idiom

: to save as much money over a period of time as something costs initially
windows that pay for themselves within five years by saving on heating costs

Examples of pay for itself in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Fortunately, buoyed by support from Warren Buffett, Occidental beat back Icahn’s challenge and rode out the economic cycle back to high oil prices, allowing Anadarko to pay for itself several times over. Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2024 But increasing spending on most programs does not pay for itself in any sense the U.S. Treasury would recognize. Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2024 At this price, the convenience will pay for itself in no time. Benjamin Levin, Rolling Stone, 10 July 2024 That funding doesn’t pay for itself, necessarily, but raising taxes or cutting less useful spending to boost scientific grants seems like a strong strategy. Dylan Matthews, Vox, 16 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pay for itself 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pay for itself.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near pay for itself

Cite this Entry

“Pay for itself.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pay%20for%20itself. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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