pay
pay — verb
1. to give someone money because you are buying something, using a service, or sett
to give someone money because you are buying something, using a service, or settling what you owe.
Lena paid cash for the vegetables at the night market.
pay + for + thing bought
We paid the plumber before lunch and kept the receipt.
Guests paid at the front desk before entering their rooms.
Mina paid her neighbor fifty dollars for the old bike.
Our family pays the gas bill online every month.
文法句型
pay + person + amount
pay + amount + for + thing
pay + bill/rent/tax
pay + person + to + verb
用法筆記
With the thing you buy, English usually uses 'pay for'. With the person receiving money, English normally uses 'pay someone'. Distinguish from sense 3, where the money is specifically for a person's work.
常見錯誤
2. A machine, service, or other purchase has paid for itself once its savings or in
A machine, service, or other purchase has paid for itself once its savings or income match the original cost.
The solar lights paid for themselves within two dry summers.
fixed pattern: pay for themselves
After one busy year, the new oven paid for itself.
Cheap train passes can pay for themselves after a few trips.
The farm robot paid for itself by cutting repair costs.
- recoup
more formal; focuses on getting money back
- recover
can be used for getting a cost back, but is less fixed
- break even
focuses on not losing money overall, not only on one item
- lose money
to cost more than it saves or earns
文法句型
pay for itself
pay for themselves
用法筆記
Almost always used with 'for itself' or 'for themselves'. The subject is usually a machine, system, change, or purchase that saves money over time.
常見錯誤
3. to give a worker money for the job they have done, often as wages or salary.
to give a worker money for the job they have done, often as wages or salary.
The restaurant pays new cooks every Friday afternoon.
pay + worker + time of payment
Our school paid the band two hundred dollars for the show.
pay + worker + amount + for + work
This company pays drivers well during the holiday season.
The family paid a local guide to carry the bags.
Nurses were paid late after the bank system failed.
- compensate
more formal; common in business or legal contexts
- reward
suggests payment or benefit for effort or success, not regular wages
- remunerate
formal and less common in everyday speech
文法句型
pay + worker + amount
pay + worker + for + work
pay + person + to + verb
be paid + amount
用法筆記
The subject is usually an employer, company, school, or customer. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about paying for goods, services, or bills rather than for someone's work.
常見錯誤
4. If an action or plan pays, it brings profit or some other useful result.
If an action or plan pays, it brings profit or some other useful result.
The small cafe paid once tourists returned in spring.
intransitive: business produces profit
On dark mountain roads, it pays to check the map first.
it pays to + verb
Extra practice paid when Nora won the school race.
Hard work paid, and Rosa got the promotion.
文法句型
it pays to + verb
hard work pays
investment pays
用法筆記
Common subjects are businesses, plans, effort, and risks. The pattern 'it pays to + verb' means doing that action is wise because it helps or saves trouble.
常見錯誤
5. used with certain nouns to mean giving or showing the action they name, especial
used with certain nouns to mean giving or showing the action they name, especially in formal speech or writing.
During dinner, Maya paid her teacher a warm compliment.
pay + person + compliment
The mayor paid tribute to the nurses after the fire.
pay tribute to + person
After the concert, reporters paid the young star a compliment.
In her talk, the guide paid high praise to the old painter.
- withhold
to choose not to give praise or respect
文法句型
pay + tribute + to + person
pay + compliment + to + person
pay + praise + to + person
用法筆記
This sense appears mostly in fixed combinations such as 'pay tribute', 'pay a compliment', and 'pay praise'. Distinguish from sense 6, where the object is usually 'attention'.
常見錯誤
6. to direct your eyes, ears, or mind carefully to someone or something.
to direct your eyes, ears, or mind carefully to someone or something.
Please pay attention when the nurse explains the medicine.
pay attention when + clause
The dog paid close attention to every sound outside.
pay close attention to + noun
During the tour, students paid attention to the wall paintings.
Few drivers paid much attention to the warning sign.
Eva paid attention as her grandfather fixed the radio.
文法句型
pay attention to + person/thing
pay close attention to + detail
pay no attention to + person/thing
用法筆記
Usually appears with the noun 'attention', especially in the pattern 'pay attention to'. Distinguish from sense 5, where 'pay' combines with formal nouns such as 'tribute' or 'compliment'.
常見錯誤
7. to go and see someone or somewhere briefly.
to go and see someone or somewhere briefly.
We paid a quick visit to Grandma after the market.
pay a visit to + person
The class paid a visit to the city museum on Friday.
pay a visit to + place
Dr. Singh paid a short visit before the evening train.
Two reporters paid the village a visit after the flood.
- avoid
to stay away instead of going to see someone or somewhere
文法句型
pay a visit to + place
pay + person/place + a visit
用法筆記
Most often used in the noun pattern 'pay a visit to'. It is more formal than the simple verb 'visit', and it usually suggests a brief call rather than a long stay.
常見錯誤
pay — noun
1. money that a person gets regularly for doing their job.
money that a person gets regularly for doing their job.
Maria's pay arrives in the bank on the last day.
uncountable noun: pay arrives
Factory workers asked for higher pay after food prices rose.
common modifier: higher pay
Good pay brought more nurses to the mountain town.
Weekly pay kept Ben's family above water that winter.
文法句型
good/high/low pay
pay for + job
用法筆記
Usually uncountable and often modified by words such as 'good', 'low', 'weekly', or 'holiday'. 'Pay' is broader than 'salary' because it can include wages for hourly work.
常見錯誤
2. the state of working for a person or group, often in a secret or dishonest way.
the state of working for a person or group, often in a secret or dishonest way.
The guard was in the gang's pay for years.
fixed phrase: be in somebody's pay
Police found that two clerks were in the dealer's pay.
No judge should be in a company's pay.
Rumors said the witness was in the mayor's pay.
- employment
much broader and neutral; does not suggest secrecy
- service
can mean working for someone, sometimes with a formal tone
- independence
working or acting without being controlled by the employer
文法句型
be in + somebody's pay
用法筆記
This sense is almost only seen in the pattern 'be in somebody's pay'. It often suggests corruption, spying, or hidden loyalty rather than ordinary employment.
常見錯誤
pay — adjective
1. used for machines, places, or services that you can use only after paying.
used for machines, places, or services that you can use only after paying.
The motel room had a pay TV beside the bed.
used before noun
Tourists used a pay phone outside the closed station.
common compound: pay phone
The building still keeps one pay toilet near the bus stop.
A pay parking area opened behind the night market.
- paid
broader; can describe services that require payment, but not the same fixed compounds
- chargeable
formal; often used in notices or business contexts
- free
available without payment
文法句型
pay + phone
pay + toilet
pay + parking
用法筆記
Placed before nouns naming facilities or services. Many compounds with this sense are older, such as 'pay phone', but they are still useful for understanding signs and older texts.