English Reference
Idiom idiom

pay attention


To attend; to be attentive; to focus one's attention.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

Please pay attention to the teacher.

CONTEXTUAL

You need to pay attention to the road while you are driving.

COMPLEX

If you fail to pay attention to the subtle details of the contract, you might face unexpected legal consequences later.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    attention whore

    A person who routinely solicits attention through inappropriate tactics and provocation.

  2. 02

    hell to pay

    Very unpleasant consequences; a great deal of trouble.

  3. 03

    hit pay dirt

    To strike it rich; to get lucky or have a big break.

  4. 04

    pay a visit

    To visit.

  5. 05

    pay dividends

    To bring about something good as a result of past effort or actions.

  6. 06

    pay heed

    To give attention; to heed.

  7. 07

    pay homage to

    to show honor or respect to; to honor; to do, make or pay obeisance to

  8. 08

    pay off old scores

    To settle old grudges by taking revenge.

Last updated August 10, 2026