# pay for sth

CEFR A1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pay-for-sth
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

To give money in exchange for goods or a service.

For teachers: A transitive prepositional verb meaning to give money in exchange for a good or service. The object following 'for' is the item being purchased.

## Examples

- I need to pay for my ticket.
- She went to the counter to pay for her groceries before leaving the store.
- The corporation was ultimately forced to pay for the environmental damage its factory had caused, a settlement that ran into the billions.

## Pitfalls

- Not "I paid the coffee." but "I paid for the coffee." — The preposition 'for' is required when the object is the thing you are buying.

## Usage notes

- The object following 'for' is the thing you are buying.
- Teaching tip: Contrast 'pay for something' (the item) with 'pay someone' (the recipient), e.g., 'I paid the cashier for the book'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.