buy
buy — 動詞
- buypresent simple I / you / we / they
- buyshe / she / it
- boughtpast simple
- buying-ing form
1. to give money to a shop, person, or company in order to take an item, service, o
購買
付錢取得商品或服務
to give money to a shop, person, or company in order to take an item, service, or right away with you.
Maya bought a red umbrella at the corner shop on her way home.
Maya 在回家路上於街角的小店買了一把紅色的雨傘。
buy + object + at + place
Marcus bought his daughter a small bicycle for her seventh birthday.
Marcus 在女兒七歲生日時買了一輛小腳踏車送給她。
ditransitive: buy + somebody + something
We bought our flat from an elderly couple who were moving to the countryside.
我們的公寓是向一對準備搬到鄉下的老夫婦買的。
buy + something + from + somebody
Lina is saving every coin so that she can buy a guitar by Christmas.
Lina 把每一塊錢都存起來，希望聖誕節前能買到一把吉他。
The shop closes at six, so come early if you want to buy fresh bread.
店家六點就關門，想買新鮮麵包就早點來。
- buy cheap
- buy in bulk
- buy online
- buy a ticket
- buy a house
- buy groceries
文法句型
buy + something
buy + somebody + something
buy + something + for + somebody
buy + something + from + somebody
用法筆記
Past tense and past participle are both 'bought'. The thing paid is normally introduced by 'for' ('for ten dollars'); the seller is introduced by 'from'.
常見錯誤
2. to give money or a favour to a person, usually one in a position of power, in or
收買；賄賂
付錢請有權者替自己做事
to give money or a favour to a person, usually one in a position of power, in order to get them to act in a way that helps you and is often dishonest.
The drug gang tried to buy several local police officers, but two of them refused.
那個販毒集團想收買幾位當地警察，但其中兩位拒絕了。
buy + somebody (in a position of power)
Critics claimed the company had bought the inspector who signed off on the unsafe factory.
批評者說，那家公司收買了在不安全工廠檢查報告上簽字的稽查員。
You can't buy Judge Tanaka — he has thrown people in jail for even hinting at it.
你沒辦法收買 Tanaka 法官——他連有人暗示要這麼做都會把人關進牢裡。
negative pattern: can't / won't be bought
Some politicians in the small town were easily bought with cash and free holidays.
在那個小鎮上，一些政客只要給點現金和免費假期就能被收買。
passive: be bought with + reward
- buy a witness
- buy a judge
- buy votes
- buy off
文法句型
buy + somebody
buy + somebody + off
用法筆記
Object is normally a person with authority or influence (a judge, official, witness, voter). Often appears in passive ('be bought') or negative ('can't be bought'). Distinct from sense 3, which specifically targets silence about a secret.
常見錯誤
3. to give money or some other thing to a person so that they will keep quiet about
封口
用錢換取對方守住秘密
to give money or some other thing to a person so that they will keep quiet about a secret you do not want made public.
The film star tried to buy the photographer who had pictures of the hotel meeting.
那位影星想花錢封住拍到飯店密會照片的攝影師的口。
buy + somebody (who holds a secret)
Marcus thought a generous cheque would buy his old assistant, but she went straight to the press.
Marcus 以為一張大支票就能讓老助理閉嘴，結果她直接去找媒體。
The studio bought every witness in the building before the story could leak online.
電影公司在新聞外洩前，把樓裡每一位目擊者全都收買封口。
buy + every / the + person who knows
The witness refused to be bought, even when the lawyer offered a million yen.
就算律師開出一百萬日圓，那位證人也拒絕被收買封口。
passive: refuse to be bought
- buy somebody's silence
- buy a witness
- buy off
文法句型
buy + somebody
buy + somebody's + silence
用法筆記
Differs from sense 2 ('BRIBE') in that the goal is specifically silence about something already known, not getting someone to perform a dishonest act. Often paired with the noun 'silence' (also 'buy somebody's silence').
常見錯誤
4. to accept that a story, excuse, or claim is true, especially when it sounds unli
相信；採信
接受對方說法為真（多用於懷疑語氣）
to accept that a story, excuse, or claim is true, especially when it sounds unlikely or you are doubtful.
I don't buy the idea that he forgot his wallet for the fourth time this month.
他這個月已經第四次說自己忘了帶錢包，我才不相信。
buy + the idea / story (negative)
Will the jury really buy that Marcus was at the cinema when his car was at the scene?
陪審團真的會相信 Marcus 在電影院的時候，他的車卻停在現場嗎？
buy + that-clause (in a question)
Our boss bought my excuse about the broken train, even though I had overslept.
明明是我睡過頭，老闆居然相信了我「火車壞掉」的藉口。
buy + an excuse / story
Nobody at school bought Lina's claim that her uncle was a famous astronaut.
學校裡沒有人相信 Lina 說她叔叔是有名太空人的故事。
- I don't buy it
- buy an excuse
- buy a story
- hard to buy
文法句型
buy + something (story / excuse / explanation)
buy + that-clause
用法筆記
Most common in negative sentences ('I don't buy it') and questions ('Do you really buy that?'). Object is typically a story, excuse, claim, or that-clause — not a concrete object, which would trigger sense 1.
常見錯誤
5. (of an amount of money) to have a value high enough that it covers the cost of a
夠買；買得起
某筆錢足以支付某物
(of an amount of money) to have a value high enough that it covers the cost of a particular item or service.
Twenty dollars won't buy you a decent meal in central Tokyo these days.
現在二十美元在東京市中心連一頓像樣的飯都買不起。
money + won't buy + somebody + something
A teacher's monthly salary barely buys a small flat on the edge of the city.
老師一個月的薪水勉強只夠買城市邊緣的一間小公寓。
subject is a sum / salary
Mr. Tanaka realised too late that his fortune could not buy back his daughter's trust after years of neglect.
Mr. Tanaka 太晚才明白，多年的疏忽過後，再多的財富也買不回女兒的信任。
what no money can buy
Back in 1990, fifty pounds bought a week of groceries for the whole household.
回到 1990 年，五十英鎊就能買全家一個禮拜的食物雜貨。
- money can't buy
- what little money buys
- barely buys
- no longer buys
- afford
person-subject opposite frame ('she can afford it' vs 'her salary buys it')
- cover
neutral; the money is enough to pay the cost
- stretch to
informal British; the amount is just barely enough
文法句型
money + buys + something
what + money + can / cannot + buy
用法筆記
Subject must be an amount of money, a salary, or a similar measure of wealth — not a person. Often appears in negative or 'cannot' patterns to make a point about the limits of money.
常見錯誤
6. to win a result, advantage, or quality by giving up or losing something else tha
以代價換得
付出重要代價而得到
to win a result, advantage, or quality by giving up or losing something else that was important to you.
The country bought its independence with the lives of thousands of young soldiers.
這個國家的獨立，是用數千名年輕士兵的生命換來的。
buy + abstract goal + with + cost
Marcus bought a few quiet years in the countryside at the cost of his career in the city.
Marcus 以放棄都市的事業為代價，換來鄉下幾年安靜的日子。
buy + something + at the cost of
Her gold medal was bought with years of pain, missed birthdays, and lonely training mornings.
她那面金牌是用多年的傷痛、錯過的生日和孤單的清晨訓練換來的。
passive: be bought with + sacrifice
Some companies buy short-term profit by ignoring the safety of their workers.
有些公司無視員工安全，以此換取短期的利潤。
- buy peace
- buy freedom
- buy victory
- dearly bought
- buy at the cost of
文法句型
buy + something + with + something
be bought + with + something
用法筆記
Object is normally an abstract gain (peace, freedom, victory, fame). The price is introduced by 'with', 'at the cost of', or 'by + -ing'. Often passive when the gain is the focus.
常見錯誤
buy into
phrasal verbto accept and start supporting an idea, plan, or set of beliefs, often after some doubt; or to pay money so you become a part owner of a business.
認同（想法）；入股
Many young workers no longer buy into the idea that they must stay at one company for life.
Marcus bought into his cousin's bakery and now helps run the weekend market stall.
buy out
phrasal verbto pay another person for their share of a business or property so that you become the only owner.
買斷；收購（股份）
After the divorce, Lina bought out her ex-husband's half of the small bookshop.
A larger company bought out the family hotel and turned it into a chain branch.
buy up
phrasal verbto buy as much of something as you can, often quickly and before other people get the chance.
大量購入；搶購
Tourists bought up every bottle of the local rice wine before the festival even began.
Big developers are buying up old houses near the new train station.
buy in
phrasal verbto purchase a supply of something in advance because you will need it soon or it may be hard to find later.
預先購入；囤購
The café owner bought in extra coffee beans before the supplier raised prices last month.
buy off
phrasal verbto give somebody money or favours so that they stop making trouble for you or stop opposing your plans.
用錢打發；收買（使對方閉嘴）
The factory boss tried to buy off the angry neighbours with cash and free electricity.
You cannot buy off every critic — sooner or later one of them will speak out.
buy time
idiomto do something so that an event, decision, or deadline is delayed and you have a chance to think or get ready.
拖延時間；爭取時間
Sarah told a long story about traffic to buy time before the angry client arrived.
The lawyer asked endless small questions, mostly to buy time for her assistant to find the missing file.
buy it
idiomto die, especially in an accident or war (used informally and often jokingly).
（俚語）喪命；死掉
Old soldiers in the village still talk about the friends who bought it on the beaches in 1944.
buy a pig in a poke
idiomto pay for an item without first checking it carefully, so you risk getting something of poor quality.
盲目購物；買了再說（不見實物就買）
Never buy a used motorbike online without seeing it — that is buying a pig in a poke.
of the very highest quality, since the buyer was willing to pay a top price.
錢能買到最好的；頂級的
The Watanabe family booked the best hotel in Kyoto that money could buy for their grandparents' anniversary.
(have) bought it
idiomThis means someone has died, usually in an accident or war.
喪命，死掉
The pilot bought it when his plane crashed into the mountain.
Did you hear that old soldier finally bought it last week?
buy back the farm
idiomThis means a country regains control of its own land or property from foreign owners.
買回國有資產
The government plans to buy back the farm from the foreign company.
Can our nation afford to buy back the farm from overseas investors?
buy the farm
idiomThis is a casual way to say someone has died.
死掉，翹辮子
My great-grandfather bought the farm in a farming accident.
If you drive that fast, you might buy the farm tonight.
This means buying something without checking its quality or condition first.
盲買，未看貨就買
Buying a used car online can be a pig in a poke.
She refused to buy a pig in a poke and asked for a test drive.
This means selling or buying something that is worthless or much less valuable than the price paid.
買到假貨/賣假貨
The dealer sold me a pup; the watch stopped after one day.
Don't buy a pup from that street vendor; his goods are fake.
buy — 名詞
1. an item that has been bought, judged in terms of its value compared with the pri
划算的東西
從價格與價值看買到的物品
an item that has been bought, judged in terms of its value compared with the price paid for it.
At only twenty dollars, that wool jacket is a great buy for the winter.
那件羊毛外套只要二十美元，冬天穿超划算。
a great / good buy + at + price
The old farmhouse looked cheap, but it turned out to be a really bad buy after the roof fell in.
那棟老農舍看起來便宜，後來屋頂塌了才知道根本是買錯了。
a bad buy
Marcus says his second-hand piano was the best buy of his life.
Marcus 說他那架二手鋼琴是這輩子買得最划算的東西。
the best buy of + period
For families on a tight budget, this small electric kettle is a sensible buy.
對預算有限的家庭來說，這個小型電熱水壺是個明智的選擇。
- a good buy
- a great buy
- a bad buy
- a sensible buy
- the best buy
- rip-off
very informal; an item priced far above its real value
文法句型
a + good / great / bad + buy
be a buy + at + price
用法筆記
Almost always appears with a positive or negative adjective ('good', 'great', 'best', 'bad', 'sensible'). Without such an adjective, native speakers usually prefer 'purchase' or just 'thing I bought'.