ENGLISH
REFERENCE

paid

v.
A2 Elementary US //ˈpeɪd// UK //pˈeɪd// paid Slang

v. to give money to someone for work they did or for something you bought. It is the past form of the word 'pay'.

v. to have given money in exchange for goods or services. The past tense and past participle form of the irregular verb 'pay'; typically transitive.


SIMPLE

I paid for the coffee with cash.

CONTEXTUAL

She paid the contractor the full amount once the kitchen renovation was finished to her satisfaction.

COMPLEX

The company paid its employees a generous bonus after the quarterly profits exceeded the board's most optimistic projections.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology 1

From pay + -ed.

Etymology 2

From Middle English paid, payd, ipaid, ypayd, past participle of Middle English paien, payen (“to pay”), equivalent to pay + -ed.

Usage

Irregular verb (pay, paid, paid). Transitive when followed by the recipient or the amount; takes 'for' when followed by the item purchased.

Pitfall

I payed for the ticketI paid for the ticketThe past tense of 'pay' is irregularly spelled 'paid'. The spelling 'payed' is only used in nautical contexts regarding ropes or ship hulls.

Idioms1 entry

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