bought
ˈbȯt 
; buying
; buying
1
: to acquire possession, ownership, or rights to the use or services of by payment especially of money : purchase
buy a car
buying stock in the company
bought us dinner
2
a
: to obtain in exchange for something often at a sacrifice
They bought peace with their freedom.
b
Christianity
: redeem sense 6
bought us with his blood
4
: to be the purchasing equivalent of
The dollar buys less today than it used to.
: to make a purchase
Now is a good time to buy.
1
: something of value at a favorable price
2
: an act of acquiring possession, ownership, or rights to the use or services of something by payment especially of money : an act of buying (see buy entry 1 sense 1) : purchase
an undercover drug buy
Examples of buy in a Sentence
Verb
I bought this hat for $10.
He bought the quilt from a local artist.
Stock prices are low, so now is a good time to buy.
He said it was a mistake, but I don't buy it.
Noun
four cartons of ice cream for four dollars is a real buy
Recent Examples on the Web
Daniel De Visé,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
Gumede’s consortium bought Tongaat Hulett out of near liquidation earlier this year, taking control of a business whose mills and grower networks anchor rural economies across Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
3 July 2026
Alexa Lomonaco,
CNBC,
3 July 2026
Tarasenko was a great buy-low option in last June’s trade, netting 23 goals for Minnesota in a bounce-back season.
—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for buy
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Nine in 10 adults under 40 say buying a first home is harder for them today than for their parents’ generation, Pew reports in a new survey.
—
Daniel De Visé,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
Gumede’s consortium bought Tongaat Hulett out of near liquidation earlier this year, taking control of a business whose mills and grower networks anchor rural economies across Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
3 July 2026
Noun
Goldman Sachs reinforced that view this week, initiating coverage with a buy rating and a $186 price target.
—
Alexa Lomonaco,
CNBC,
3 July 2026
Tarasenko was a great buy-low option in last June’s trade, netting 23 goals for Minnesota in a bounce-back season.
—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
2 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for buy
Cite this Entry
“Buy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buy. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
buy
1 of 2 verb
bought
ˈbȯt
; buying
; buying
1
: to get by paying money for : purchase
2
: to gain control over by bribery
buy votes
3
: believe sense 3
I don't buy that nonsense
buy
2 of 2 nounLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
