Life begins when you pay taxes.
Source: tatoeba (2058)
Pay
/peɪ/
Synonyms for "pay" (299 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (60)
Verb(9 words)
Noun(9 words)
accomplishachieveadvantageaffordamendsangelansweratoneattend toavailbackbankrollbase paybe exposed tobe gainfulbe hadbe handybe of usebe profitablebe subjected to
Show 22 more words
be worthwhilebenefitbesteadbring aboutbring inbring offbring to passbudgetcapitalizecastigationchasteningchastisementclearcome down oncommitcompensatecompensationcondign punishmentcorrectioncostcost outcough up
Strong matches (90)
Verb(12 words)
Noun(7 words)
desertsdisbursedisciplinary measuresdisciplinedismissal wagedodo fordo the trickdo toearningseffecteffectuateemolumentencounterendureescalator clauseescalator planexpendexperiencefee
Show 50 more words
feelferulefill the billfinancefinancial remunerationfixfork outfundgainget satisfactiongive good returnsgive it togo and dogo throughgrossgross incomegrubstakeguaranteed annual wageguerdonhavehirehonorhonorariumincomeincur costsindemnifyinflictinflictioninvestjudgmentjudicial punishmentknowlabor underlay outlivelihoodliving wagemakemake amendsmake requitalmake restitutionmake retributionmeetmeet up withmeet withminimum wagenemesisnetnet incomeopen the purseoutlay
Adverb(1 words)
individually paid wage
Related words (149)
overpayoverspendpainpainspains and punishmentspass throughpatronizepay and allowancespay backpay by installmentspay dearlypay exorbitantlypay forpay offpay onpay outpay too muchpaymentpayrollpenal retribution
Show 88 more words
penaltypenancepenologyperpetrateplunkportal-to-portal payprepayproduceprofitprovide forpull offpunishmentpunitionpurchasing powerput outquitreal wagesrealizerecompenseredressrefinancereimburseremitremunerateremunerationrenderrepayrequiteretributionretributive justicereturnrewardrun throughrun up againstsalarysatisfyschedulescourgeserveserve one outserve the purposeset upsettlesettle the scoreseverance payshell outsink money insliding scalespendsplurgesponsorsquandersquarestakestand understipendsubsidizesuffersufficesupportsustaintake and dotake care oftake home paytake-hometake-home paytastetaxable incometenderthrow money aroundtotal compensationundergoup and dowagewage controlwage freezewage reductionwage rollbackwage scalewageswages after deductionswages after taxeswell-deserved punishmentwhat forwhat-forwreakyieldyield a profit
Verb(16 words)
pay offpay the freightpay the piperpay the pricepony upquitredeemremuneratedremuneratessettledshell outspendstump uptithedtreatedyield
Noun(24 words)
Adjective(1 words)
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: ante up, pay up, remuneration, salary, wage.
- Sentence evidence is available for pay, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wiktionary, wordnet, opengloss, moby, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "pay".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "pay"
Keep "pay" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "pay" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "pay", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "pay" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
42 entriesShowing 16 of 42 words.
More specific
13 entriesCollocations
11 entriesbase payhourly paymonthly paypay a complimentpay a visitpay attentionpay interestpay raisepay scalepay taxespay the bill
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
7 entriessimilar
6 entriesTranslations
35 translations across 21 languages.
Czech
1 entries- vyplatit se verb (to be profitable)
Danish
2 entries- betale sig verb (to be profitable)
- lønne sig verb (to be profitable)
Dutch
2 entries- lonen verb (to be profitable)
- opbrengen verb (to be profitable)
Esperanto
1 entries- profitigi verb (to be profitable)
Finnish
1 entries- kannattaa verb (to be profitable)
French
1 entries- payer verb (to be profitable)
German
1 entries- sich lohnen verb (to be profitable)
Greek
1 entries- αποδίδω verb (to be profitable)
Hungarian
4 entries- jövedelmez verb (to be profitable)
- kifizetődik verb (to be profitable)
- megéri verb (to be profitable)
- rentábilis verb (to be profitable)
Latin
3 entries- compenso verb (to be profitable)
- penso verb (to be profitable)
- repenso verb (to be profitable)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- lønne seg verb (to be profitable)
Norwegian Nynorsk
2 entries- løne seg verb (to be profitable)
- lønne seg verb (to be profitable)
Portuguese
1 entries- compensar verb (to be profitable)
Romanian
2 entries- a fi profitabil verb (to be profitable)
- merita verb (to be profitable)
Russian
2 entries- окупа́ться verb (to be profitable)
- окупи́ться verb (to be profitable)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- pàigh verb (to be profitable)
Serbo-Croatian
1 entries- isplatiti se verb (to be profitable)
Slovene
1 entries- izplačati se verb (to be profitable)
Spanish
4 entries- pagar verb (to be profitable)
- redituar verb (to be profitable)
- salir a cuenta verb (to be profitable)
- valer la pena verb (to be profitable)
Swedish
2 entries- betala sig verb (to be profitable)
- löna sig verb (to be profitable)
Walloon
1 entries- ripayî verb (to be profitable)
Sample sentences
35 total sentences available.
Can I pay by credit card?
Source: tatoeba (2238)
I'll pay by cheque.
Source: tatoeba (2422)
You should pay your rent in advance.
Source: tatoeba (9581)
Showing 4 of 35 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "pay"?
Closest matches include ante up, pay up, remuneration, salary, wage.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "pay"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.