pay 1 of 2

1
as in to compensate
to give (someone) the sum of money owed for goods or services received we need to pay the cashier and then we can leave

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in to meet
to give what is owed for you ought to pay that bill before it's overdue

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4
as in to yield
to produce as revenue an investment paying six percent

Synonyms & Similar Words

5

pay

2 of 2

noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word pay distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of pay are compensate, indemnify, recompense, reimburse, remunerate, repay, and satisfy. While all these words mean "to give money or its equivalent in return for something," pay implies the discharge of an obligation incurred.

paid their bills

When might compensate be a better fit than pay?

The words compensate and pay are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, compensate implies a making up for services rendered.

an attorney well compensated for her services

When can indemnify be used instead of pay?

Although the words indemnify and pay have much in common, indemnify implies making good a loss suffered through accident, disaster, warfare.

indemnified the families of the dead miners

When would recompense be a good substitute for pay?

The meanings of recompense and pay largely overlap; however, recompense suggests due return in amends, friendly repayment, or reward.

passengers were recompensed for the delay

When could reimburse be used to replace pay?

The synonyms reimburse and pay are sometimes interchangeable, but reimburse implies a return of money that has been spent for another's benefit.

reimbursed employees for expenses

Where would remunerate be a reasonable alternative to pay?

In some situations, the words remunerate and pay are roughly equivalent. However, remunerate clearly suggests paying for services rendered and may extend to payment that is generous or not contracted for.

promised to remunerate the searchers handsomely

When is it sensible to use repay instead of pay?

While in some cases nearly identical to pay, repay stresses paying back an equivalent in kind or amount.

repay a favor with a favor

When is satisfy a more appropriate choice than pay?

While the synonyms satisfy and pay are close in meaning, satisfy implies paying a person what is required by law.

all creditors will be satisfied in full

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pay
Verb
Unsecured Financing With unsecured financing, your lender is relying on your promise to pay them back. Levi King, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025 In Miami-Dade County, assuming a minimum of $225 per citation, the more than 145,000 citations issued this school year would yield more than $32.6 million if all were paid. Carlos Suarez, CNN, 21 Jan. 2025
Noun
Search the pay of Idaho’s close to 15,000 public university employees with the Statesman’s database here. Ian Max Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 20 Jan. 2025 Through Biden's orders, the administration had prioritized recruiting folks from underserved communities, evaluating hiring practices through a diversity lens and addressing pay inequities. Mimi Montgomery, Axios, 20 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for pay 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pay
Verb
  • If its landfill revenue falls, the county may have to compensate.
    Darin Oswald, Idaho Statesman, 19 Jan. 2025
  • Díaz de la Portilla is asking to be compensated for his attorneys’ fees and costs.
    Tess Riski, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • In among all these itinerant jobs, Robert meets Gladys (Felicity Jones), a young woman who sings in the church choir and becomes the incandescent center of his life.
    David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025
  • Rather than adapting existing algorithms, Metal Minds creates solutions from scratch that reflect the physical and chemical processes occurring during steelmaking as accurately as possible while tailoring these solutions to meet clients’ specific needs.
    Svetlana Khachiyan, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Bryant spent many of his formative years in Italy, as his father Joe decided to take his playing career to Europe after leaving the Houston Rockets in 1983.
    Ben Church, CNN, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Sports Afterward, the Bills quietly receded from playoff contention and spent years in the football wilderness with 10 different head coaches and 20 starting quarterbacks.
    Becky Sullivan, NPR, 25 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • At Lowell, inmates say, those who yield to the officers’ demands are often shielded from abuse.
    Julie K. Brown, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Cutrer said that the university had used several means to cut the deficit over the prior two years, a process that had yielded $6.8 million in savings.
    Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Around 58% of hiring managers said recent college graduates are unprepared for the workforce, according to a December survey from Intelligent, an online magazine focused on higher education.
    Nayeli Jaramillo-Plata, CNN, 26 Jan. 2025
  • Detailed policy and hiring programs had been negotiated and assembled.
    Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • International competition must force the league to be better, teams to invest more and salary caps and transfer fee limits to be raised.
    Emily Olsen, The Athletic, 28 Jan. 2025
  • Many of the school's biggest changes in spending were related to coaches, as total salaries jumped from $45.2 million in 2022-23 to $54.3 million in 2023-24, driven largely by increases in compensation to head football coach Ryan Day and his staff.
    Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 27 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • But that’s not what’s happening here; Trump is seeking a full withdrawal and a halt to all payments, which will put an appreciable dent in the agency’s budget.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 25 Jan. 2025
  • Indiana House Bill 1448, authored by Rep. Hal Slager, R-Schererville, addresses issues with supplemental payments that were added into state law during the 2019 session.
    Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • However, the funds exchanged between the two brothers reflected a loan; James Biden repaid his brother after two major business deals, one with a U.S. company while the other came shortly after a deal Hunter Biden secured with a Chinese company.
    Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Seth Meyers loves to take a photo with a fan, Seth Meyers is a conscientious tipper, Aidy Bryant hasn’t gone cashless in this world of Apple Pay, and Meyers always repays his debts.
    Bethy Squires, Vulture, 17 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near pay

Cite this Entry

“Pay.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pay. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

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