What does "buy" mean?
Something which is bought; a purchase.
Buy
/baɪ/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something which is bought; a purchase.
- Grammar: buy is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bargain, steal, abide by, aby.
- Useful contrasts: chartered company rule, hackneyed, retail foodstuff.
- Usage evidence: It's a pity that you can't buy miracles like you would buy potatoes.
How to use "buy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "buy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "buy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "buy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "buy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "buy" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bargain" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "buy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something which is bought; a purchase.
"At only $30, the second-hand kitchen table was a great buy."
- 2 an advantageous purchase wordnet
Verb
- 1 To obtain (something) in exchange for money or goods. ditransitive, transitive
"Who'd Father buy the car for? He bought it for me, not for you."
- 2 accept as true wordnet
- 3 To obtain, especially by some sacrifice. ditransitive, transitive
"I've bought material comfort by foregoing my dreams."
- 4 obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction wordnet
- 5 To suffer consequences for (something) through being deprived of something; to pay for (something one has done). archaic, transitive
"VVhat villaine, doſt ſtrike me? I ſweare by the rood, As I am Iacke Strawe, thou ſhalt buy it with thy blood."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 acquire by trade or sacrifice or exchange wordnet
- 7 To bribe. transitive
"He tried to buy me with gifts, but I wouldn't give up my beliefs."
- 8 make illegal payments to in exchange for favors or influence wordnet
- 9 To be equivalent to in value. transitive
"The dollar doesn't buy as much as it used to."
- 10 be worth or be capable of buying wordnet
- 11 to accept as true; to believe informal, transitive
"I'm not going to buy your stupid excuses anymore!"
- 12 To make a purchase or purchases, to treat (for a drink, meal or gift) intransitive
"She buys for Federated."
- 13 To make a bluff, usually a large one. slang, transitive
"Smith tried to buy the pot on the river with a huge bluff."
Example
"It's a pity that you can't buy miracles like you would buy potatoes."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "buy"?
Common synonyms include: bargain, steal, abide by, aby, accede, accept.
How do you use "buy" in a sentence?
It's a pity that you can't buy miracles like you would buy potatoes.
How do you pronounce "buy"?
Pronounced /baɪ/.
Etymology
From Middle English byen, from Old English bycġan (“to buy, pay for, acquire, redeem, ransom, procure, get done, sell”), from Proto-West Germanic *buggjan, from Proto-Germanic *bugjaną (“to buy”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰūgʰ- (“to bend”), or from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewgʰ- (“to take away, deliver”). Cognate with Scots buy (“to buy, purchase”), obsolete Dutch beugen (“to buy”), Old Saxon buggian, buggean (“to buy”), Old Norse byggja (“to build, settle”), Gothic 𐌱𐌿𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bugjan, “to buy”). The spelling with “u” is from the Southwest, while the pronunciation with /aɪ/ is from the East Midlands.