Skip to main content
to buy

to buy

1.0
To get something by paying money
  • verb
  • /baɪ/
translation icon : comprar
  • I went to the store to buy some groceries for dinner.
  • buy and sell
  • buy tickets
  • buy books

And he didn't have enough money to go buy MGM.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Drive straight to a pharmacy and buy some ointment for this child,' I said.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Would it be advantageous for me to buy a studio versus rent?

  • So now I wonder, can you buy these?

  • I want people to buy things, not to dance.

  • If you know where people can buy these books, please let me know.

  • You need money to buy this house of yours, your dream house?

  • How quickly can we buy this building?

  • - We're gonna go to town and buy us a car.

  • Let's say you want to buy an orange jacket.

  • I hope that you're able to buy real estate soon.

Synonyms

to purchase
vsto buy
760 1.8

To buy something by paying money

is the neutral everyday word used for the same action

Antonyms

1.0

To give something to someone for money

Idioms

5 9.9

To die suddenly, often in an accident or during fighting

To buy something when its price is low and sell it later to make money

1 9.9

To buy something without checking it first and risk being cheated

9.9

To do a task yourself and take responsibility for what happens

To make a poor choice at the wrong time

8.7

Have done something yourself and feel bored with it

9.8

To believe what you hear without checking if it is true

Choose something only because of how it sounds, for example speakers or headphones

Phrasal Verbs

to buy it
  • Informal
140 7.6

To believe a story or explanation that may be untrue

to buy it
  • Informal
57 9.9

To die suddenly from an accident or attack

49 3.5

Pay money to own a company or a partner's share to gain control

46 4.1

To pay for and take almost all of something so one group controls it

to buy into
  • Specialized
42 4.0

Get shares or part of a company by paying money

To pay money for permission to travel or go to an event

24 1.0

To shop as a customer at a particular store or seller

23 4.1

To delay something on purpose to get more time to prepare

22 3.4

To pay money to get something you once sold, lost, or gave away

16 6.8

Give money or gifts to someone so they stay quiet and do something wrong

To buy many goods at a lower price to sell them

To buy something suddenly without planning or careful thought

Compounds

A police action in which officers pretend to buy illegal drugs to arrest sellers

How Much

to hoard
45 4.8
to stockpile
26 4.6
to lay in
2 4.0
stock
185 2.2
to buy
1.0
to get
1.0

Surface Forms

buy infinitive
buying present participle
buys third person singular
bought past
bought past participle

Etymology

Buy comes from the old English word bycgan, which meant 'to get by giving something in return'. So to buy something today is to give money in exchange for it.