buys

IPA/baɪ/
KK[bˈaɪz]IPA/baɪ/

buys — verb

  • buyspresent simple I / you / we / they
  • buyses3rd person singular
  • buysing-ing form
  • buysedpast simple

1. To hand over a sum of money in order to receive goods, a service, or something e

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveA1
Definition

To hand over a sum of money in order to receive goods, a service, or something else you want or need.

Example

Nikos bought a second-hand bicycle from his neighbour for forty euros.

buy + something + from + someone

Adina is saving up to buy a new laptop before university starts in September.

Common collocations
  • buy from
  • buy at
  • buy for
  • buy in bulk
  • buy second-hand
Synonyms
  • purchase

    more formal; typical in business, legal, and official contexts

  • get

    more informal and general; can include receiving without payment

Antonyms
  • sell

    to give something in exchange for money

Grammar Patterns

buy + something

buy + something + from + someone

buy + someone + something

Usage Note

Commonly followed by 'from' + seller and 'for' + price. Can also take an indirect object without a preposition: 'He bought his daughter a bike.'

Common Mistakes

I bought to my friend a present.
I bought a present for my friend.
When 'buy' is followed by an indirect object (the person receiving the item), use 'for', not 'to'.

2. To pay or reward someone in a position of power or authority so that they act in

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To pay or reward someone in a position of power or authority so that they act in your favour, often in a dishonest or illegal way.

Example

The construction company tried to buy the local officials with cash payments.

buy + person (object of bribery)

A wealthy businessman bought two city councillors to get his project approved quickly.

Common collocations
  • buy off
  • buy votes
  • buy support
  • buy someone's approval
  • buy a decision
Synonyms
  • bribe

    more direct and formal; 'buy' is slightly informal in this sense

  • pay off

    phrasal verb; suggests settling a debt or silencing opposition

Grammar Patterns

buy + person

buy + person + with + something

Usage Note

The direct object of 'buy' in this sense is always a person or the favour/cooperation of a person, not a product or service. Frequently used in legal contexts involving corruption.

Common Mistakes

The company bought the building contract.
The company bought the inspector to get the building contract.
When 'buy' means 'bribe', the object is the person, not the thing you gain from the bribery.

3. To give money or favours to someone specifically so that they keep a secret, rem

3.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

To give money or favours to someone specifically so that they keep a secret, remain silent, or do not report something you did wrong.

Example

The celebrity tried to buy off the journalist who had discovered the hidden story.

phrasal verb: buy off + person

Felix believed the security guard could be bought to keep quiet about the break-in.

Common collocations
  • buy off
  • buy silence
  • buy someone's cooperation
  • buy a witness
Synonyms
  • silence

    more direct; 'buy off' specifically involves payment while 'silence' may use threats

  • muzzle

    informal and strong; suggests forcing someone not to speak

Grammar Patterns

buy + someone + off

buy off + someone

buy + someone + to keep quiet

Usage Note

Often used in the phrasal verb form 'buy off', where 'off' is a particle. The emphasis is on preventing disclosure rather than securing a favour. Distinguish from sense 2 (BRIBE), which is about getting someone to act for you, while this sense is about stopping someone from speaking.

4. To accept that a particular story, explanation, or claim is true, even though it

4.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To accept that a particular story, explanation, or claim is true, even though it may not be completely convincing.

Example

Hao did not buy the excuse about the dog eating his son's homework.

The jury bought the defendant's story that he was at home alone that night.

buy + that-clause

Common collocations
  • buy a story
  • buy an excuse
  • buy an explanation
  • buy a claim
  • not buy it
Synonyms
  • believe

    standard neutral term; 'buy' is informal and often implies initial skepticism

  • swallow

    informal; suggests believing something despite it being hard to accept

Antonyms
  • reject

    to refuse to believe or accept a claim

  • doubt

    to be unsure about the truth of a claim

Grammar Patterns

buy + that-clause

buy + something + as + explanation

not buy + noun phrase

Usage Note

Almost always used in negative contexts, questions, or sentences expressing doubt. Rarely used in simple affirmative statements — instead of 'I buy his story', a native speaker would say 'I believe his story' or 'I don't buy his story.'

Common Mistakes

I buy that she is honest.
I do not buy her explanation.
In affirmative contexts, 'believe' or 'accept' is preferred; 'buy' is mainly used in negative or questioning forms.

5. To obtain something valuable by giving up something else, often at a great perso

5.verbtransitiveC1
Definition

To obtain something valuable by giving up something else, often at a great personal or collective cost.

Example

Peace was bought at the cost of many thousands of lives during the long conflict.

passive: be bought at the cost of

Vikram bought his freedom by agreeing to leave the country and never return.

buy + freedom + by + sacrifice

Common collocations
  • buy peace
  • buy freedom
  • buy time
  • buy victory
  • buy at the cost of
Synonyms
  • secure

    focuses on obtaining the result rather than the sacrifice made

  • earn

    suggests the effort or sacrifice is deserved; less tragic in tone

Antonyms
  • lose

    to fail to keep or obtain something despite sacrifice

Grammar Patterns

buy + noun + with + sacrifice

buy + noun + at the cost of

buy + freedom / peace / time

Usage Note

Frequently used in passive constructions. The sacrifice is typically introduced by 'with', 'at the cost of', or 'at the price of'. Often carries a serious or solemn tone.

6. To be enough money to pay for something; to have a stated purchasing power or va

6.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

To be enough money to pay for something; to have a stated purchasing power or value when exchanged for goods.

Example

Ten dollars buys a full lunch at the food court near my office building.

amount + buys + item

A hundred years ago, a gold coin could buy a comfortable house in town.

Common collocations
  • dollar buys
  • money buys
  • what money can buy
  • buy value
  • purchasing power
Synonyms
  • pay for

    more literal; 'buy' in this sense is about what money achieves

Grammar Patterns

amount + buys + item

money + buys + something

what + amount + can buy

Usage Note

The subject is always a sum of money, a price, or an amount that represents value. The object is what can be obtained for that amount. Very common in economic discussions about inflation and purchasing power.

Common Mistakes

That shop buys cheap vegetables.' (meaning the shop sells them)
Five dollars buys a bag of vegetables at that shop.
In this sense, the subject must be an amount of money, not a person or shop.

buys — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe obtaining something, but they differ in formality and scope. 'Buy' is the everyday word for exchanging money for goods — the natural choice in casual conversation, shopping, and general speech. 'Purchase' is more formal and typical in business, legal, or official contexts; you purchase a house through a contract, but you buy milk at the corner shop. 'Get' is very broad and informal — it covers buying, receiving, finding, or collecting without specifying the method. 'Acquire' is the most formal and often implies effort or gradual accumulation; a company acquires a rival business, or a person acquires a skill through practice. In short: 'I bought a sandwich for lunch' (natural), 'I purchased a vehicle last month' (formal), 'I got a new phone' (informal, method unspecified), 'She acquired a taste for spicy food' (gradual, not a purchase).

buy ↗purchase ↗get ↗acquire ↗

Common collocations

Adverbs

Phrases

  • buy in bulk
  • buy on credit
  • buy on impulse

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word 'buy' comes from Old English bycgan, meaning 'to pay for or get in exchange for money'. It shares ancient roots with other Germanic languages, including Old High German boufen and Gothic bugjan. The core sense of exchanging money for goods has remained central for over a thousand years. Later, the word developed figurative uses: the meaning 'to bribe' appeared in the 1500s, and the informal sense 'to believe or accept as true' emerged in American English around the 1920s.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1 Noun