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to pay

to pay

459 5.6
To make a short visit to someone as a courtesy
  • verb
  • /peɪ/
translation icon : visitar
  • I'll also pay him a little visit.
  • pay a visit
  • pay a call

Examples

  • Let's go pay the good doctor a visit.

  • So how about we pay them a surprise visit?

  • When do we pay our visit to the old Master Control, huh?

  • You know, we were wondering when you were gonna stop by and pay us a visit.

  • I thought I'd pay you a visit.

  • Thought we'd pay you a visit.

  • Faculty members and students crowded together to pay their final respects to the popular teacher.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The sheriff and six officers paid the man a late-night visit.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And Bill, I hope you'll be able to pay us a visit sometime after you get settled.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Yesterday, I decided to pay a visit to my grandmother to see how she was feeling.

Synonyms

to render
vsto pay
53 3.9

To give something to another person or authority, often formally

focuses on performing a polite or dutiful action rather than giving items
to pay a visit
vsto pay
50 2.3

To go to someone's home or another place for a short time

is done as a polite duty or courtesy rather than just briefly

Antonyms

1.0

To stay away from something or not do it to stop something bad from happening

100 3.5

Not caring for someone or something that needs care

Idioms

hell to pay
  • Informal
19 8.6

Serious trouble or punishment someone gets for something they did

to pay the piper
  • Informal
9 7.7

Accept the bad result of something you did

to hit pay dirt
  • Informal
8 7.5

To find big success or money after trying hard

To serve the punishment for a crime, often by going to prison

4 8.0

Give much more money than normal for something

1 8.2

Something I do not have the responsibility or power to decide at work

1 8.9

Face the bad results of your actions after enjoying something

1 8.1

To accept the cost or bad result of something

in the pay of
  • Literature
8.8

Getting secret money from someone to do what they want

8.2

To get revenge or settle a past wrong

Cover your own costs without help

Suffer a heavy cost to meet an unfair demand

Treat someone in the same bad way they treated you

Phrasal Verbs

To focus on someone or something and notice carefully

298 1.6

Give back money you borrowed from someone

229 3.4

Bring a reward after hard work

153 2.7

Repay all the money you owe on a loan

to pay the bills
  • Informal
74 2.3

Provide enough money to cover regular living costs like rent and food

To go to someone's home or another place for a short time

To give money regularly to your landlord for your home

42 3.8

To give money from a fund or account

38 1.7

Use paper money and coins to buy something

to pay up
  • Informal
35 3.6

Give someone the money you owe them, often after they ask you

28 3.6

Give money to someone for work or help

24 5.0

Give someone money to influence them in a dishonest way

to pay homage
  • Formal
22 5.8

Show deep respect to someone or something, often in public

19 5.5

To show great respect to someone in public for their work

to pay dearly
  • Informal
12 5.8

To suffer serious harm or loss because of an action

to pay back
  • Informal
9 3.2

Do something to someone to hurt them for what they did

To produce good results later

7 7.2

Say they support something but do not act on it

to pay alimony
  • Specialized
3 6.3

To give regular money to an ex-wife or ex-husband to support them after a divorce

to pay heed
  • Formal
2 4.5

To listen carefully to advice or warnings

to pay dues
  • Informal
1 6.0

Do hard work and make sacrifices before you succeed

to pay off
  • Informal
1 5.1

Take revenge on someone for a wrong

To give good results quickly

To work hard for a long time to earn respect or success

Spend extra money to buy something because it costs more or is hard to find

Compounds

pay-phone
  • Archaic
75 2.0

A public phone you use by putting coins or a card in it

31 2.8

A reduction in the money a worker receives from their job

15 3.7

A job level that sets how much pay an employee gets

8 7.5

A discovery or idea that makes a lot of money after hard work

The money you keep after taxes and other payments are taken out

5 4.5

Extra money given to a worker for good job performance

combat pay
  • Formal
4 5.0

Extra money paid to soldiers who serve in war zones

3 3.0

The amount of money a worker gets for each hour or week of work

1 2.4

The amount of money given for work, usually per hour or week

half-pay
  • Archaic
1 7.0

A smaller amount of money given to a worker who is not working full time but is still employed

pay envelope
  • Archaic
1 3.2

An envelope that holds the money a worker gets, often given on pay day

1 3.5

The money a worker gets for work, often in an envelope

pay dirt
  • Specialized
1 7.2

Earth or rock that has valuable minerals worth mining

1 2.3

Money a worker receives while they are off work because they are sick

strike pay
  • Jargon
1 6.7

Money a union gives members during a strike to help with living costs

A system that takes income tax from workers' pay before they receive it

4.1

A student loan plan that limits monthly payments to part of your income and may forgive the rest after years

pay claim
  • Jargon
4.4

A formal request by workers, usually through their union, for higher pay

pay-station
  • Archaic
5.2

A public telephone you use by putting coins in it

A machine you use to pay for parking or tickets

How Formal

respects
  • Formal
3.7
to call on
41 3.1
to pay
459 5.6
to visit
1.0
to drop by
  • Informal
206 2.5

Surface Forms

pay infinitive
paying present participle
pays third person singular
paid past
paid past participle

Etymology

Pay a visit comes from the same old idea of 'giving' — to pay someone a visit is to 'give' them your time or a formal call, often as a courtesy.