# unpaid

/ənˈpeɪd/ (US) · /ʌnpˈeɪd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/unpaid
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. not yet paid

adjective · CEFR B1

describes a bill or debt that has not been settled yet.

For teachers: referring to a debt, bill, or financial obligation that remains outstanding.

- The company sent a reminder because the invoice was still unpaid after thirty days.
- The finance department flagged several unpaid accounts that had been overdue since the previous fiscal quarter.

Usage: Usually functions as a predicative adjective after a verb or an attributive adjective before a noun.

### 2. without a salary

adjective · CEFR B1

describes work or a job that you do for free, often for experience or to help others.

For teachers: referring to labour or a professional role performed without monetary remuneration.

- She took an unpaid internship over the summer to gain experience in the fashion industry.
- Many charitable organisations rely heavily on unpaid volunteers to manage their daily administrative tasks and community outreach programmes.

Usage: Commonly collocates with 'work', 'leave', 'internship', or 'position'.

## Examples

- She does a lot of unpaid work for a local charity.
- The intern gained valuable experience during her unpaid summer placement at the law firm.
- While the government praised the rise in civic engagement, critics argued that the economy relied too heavily on the unpaid labor of caregivers and community volunteers.

---

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.