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to prepay

to prepay

8 3.0
Pay for something before you get it
  • verb
  • /priːˈpeɪ/
translation icon : prepagar
  • Saving money is why people prepay for several days' worth of rides on the Chicago Transit Authority and Pace.
  • have prepaid

The last thing I bought is I prepaid for two years of a gym membership.

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Examples

  • Simply prepay for a set number of articles from AIP journals and pay as little as $3 per article.

    Academic text (2004)
  • I'm headed to the Pilates class that you prepaid for but keep missing.

  • I would like to prepay ten sessions in advance.

  • Did you prepay for the gasoline?

  • I had a guest who checked out early but prepaid for one more night.

    Blog text (19)
  • Oh, you have to prepay for all the snacks and beverages.

  • The last thing I bought is I prepaid for two years of a gym membership.

  • Today more than ever, people are choosing to pre-plan or prepay for their own funeral arrangements.

    Blog text (4)
  • As soon as my contract is up, I'm ditching my smartphone and getting a prepaid Nokia.

    Blog text (23)
  • I decided to prepay for my vacation package to save money.

Synonyms

to advance
vsto prepay
29 4.6

To pay someone money before they earn it

is for paying before receiving goods or services rather than before work finishes
to ante
vsto prepay
2 8.9

To pay money in advance as a required deposit or guarantee

is a general payment made early rather than a required contribution

How Much

to pay
1.0
to prepay
8 3.0
to ante
2 8.9

Surface Forms

prepay infinitive
prepaid past
prepaid past participle
prepaying present participle
prepays third person singular

Morphology

prepay = pay (transparent) = pre + pay

The meaning is directly predictable as 'pay in advance' from the common prefix 'pre-' and the verb 'pay'.

Etymology

Prepay begins with pre- meaning 'before' and ends with pay, so to prepay is to 'pay before' you receive something or get a service.