bought

IPA/bɔːt/
KK[bˈɑt]IPA/bɑːt/

bought — verb

  • boughtpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • boughts3rd person singular
  • boughting-ing form
  • boughtedpast simple

1. the irregular past-tense form of the verb 'buy' — used both as a simple past (Lu

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA1
Definition

the irregular past-tense form of the verb 'buy' — used both as a simple past (Lucas bought milk) and after 'have/has/had' or 'be' as the participle (has bought, was bought).

Example

Lucas bought a loaf of bread on his way home from work.

simple past with direct object

Beatrix has bought three pairs of running shoes this year.

present perfect: have/has + bought

Common collocations
  • bought online
  • bought tickets
  • bought a house
  • bought a gift
  • have bought
  • had bought
  • bought cheap
  • bought secondhand
Synonyms
  • purchased

    more formal; common in business and written contexts

  • acquired

    formal; suggests obtaining by any means, not only by paying

  • got

    very informal; can mean bought, received, or obtained

Antonyms
  • sold

    past of 'sell' — gave something in exchange for money

  • returned

    took an item back to the seller for a refund

Grammar Patterns

bought + noun

bought + indirect object + direct object

bought + direct object + for + person

Usage Note

Subject can be any person, group, or institution; object is the thing paid for. Frequently appears in the present perfect ('have/has bought') to talk about recent purchases that still matter, and in the passive ('was bought by…') when the buyer is less important than the item.

Common Mistakes

I have buyed a new phone.
I have bought a new phone.
'buy' is irregular: past and past participle are both 'bought', never 'buyed'.
She brought a cake at the supermarket.
She bought a cake at the supermarket.
'brought' is the past of 'bring' (carry); 'bought' is the past of 'buy' (pay for).

bought — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four can describe getting something, but only 'bought' and 'purchased' specifically mean paying money. 'Bought' is the everyday choice — neutral in register and used in any conversation, from groceries to houses. 'Purchased' carries the same core meaning but feels formal or business-like; you read it on receipts, contracts, and corporate emails ('the company purchased new servers'). 'Acquired' is broader and more formal still: it covers buying but also inheriting, winning, or otherwise obtaining, so it suits situations where the method is mixed or unstated ('the museum acquired the painting'). 'Got' is the casual catch-all — it can mean bought, received, or fetched, and only context tells you which. Compare: Beatrix bought a watch for her father (paid for it); Andrés got a watch for his birthday (received as a gift); the firm acquired its rival last year (probably bought, possibly merged).

bought ↗purchased ↗acquired ↗got ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • recently bought
  • just bought
  • originally bought
  • secretly bought

Phrases

  • bought and sold
  • bought in bulk
  • bought out
  • bought outright

Prepositions

  • bought from
  • bought for
  • bought at
  • bought with

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

The form 'bought' comes from the Old English verb 'bycgan', meaning 'to pay for, acquire'. Its past tense was 'bohte', which survived into Middle English as 'boughte' and finally settled as modern 'bought'. The 'gh' in the spelling reflects a sound (a soft throat consonant) that English speakers stopped pronouncing centuries ago, leaving the silent 'gh' we still write today. The adjective use ('shop-bought cake') developed much later, by analogy with the past participle.