pays 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of pay
1
as in compensates
to give (someone) the sum of money owed for goods or services received we need to pay the cashier and then we can leave

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in meets
to give what is owed for you ought to pay that bill before it's overdue

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4
as in yields
to produce as revenue an investment paying six percent

Synonyms & Similar Words

5

pays

2 of 2

noun

plural of pay

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pays
Verb
Anyone making over that amount pays no additional tax. Dp Opinion, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025 Wear it to the office with chunky gold earrings and ballet flats, or throw it on with leggings for casual errands—for less than $20, this staple pays itself off fast. Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Sep. 2025 In this program, families of elementary, middle school and high school children come to a local Target, shop for school clothes and hygiene products of their choice and Assistance League pays for their purchases. Jessica Peralta, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025 Without intervention, the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund—which pays Social Security benefits—could be depleted by 2033. Katie Klingensmith, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025 McGhee, who is vice chair of the commission, is proposing that 2 cents of every dollar that Miami-Dade pays some private companies for goods and services go toward charitable funding. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025 Carlsbad also pays for a school resource officer for La Costa Canyon High School. Barbara Henry, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Sep. 2025 Ramp, a business credit card startup, pays for the Gemini AI option for Google Workspace apps. Jordan Novet, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2025 Whelan said that a costuming Easter egg in the play pays tribute to original Love Boat captain Gavin MacLeod. Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
Amazon said that will reduce weekly contributions by 34% and co-pays by 87% for primary care, mental health and most non-specialist visits for employees using the basic plan. Dave Smith, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2025 Proof that staying current pays. Joseph Coughlin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025 While his premiums are very low, his deductible and co-pays for things like prescriptions for insulin equipment run hundreds of dollars per month. Chris Kenning, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025 The bill will also require people with incomes above the poverty line to pay out-of-pocket co-pays for most Medicaid services, such as lab tests or doctor visits. Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 4 July 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pays
Verb
  • A little over half of that burden will hit farmers directly in the form of falling retail prices, SBI said, unless the government compensates for the loss.
    Sriram Iyer, executive editor, CNBC-TV18, CNBC, 7 Aug. 2025
  • The compliance inherent to the finger effectively compensates for the inaccuracies in human actuation, leading to robust behavior.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2022
Verb
  • Civic pride meets global ambition The 2025 edition gathered nearly 13,000 attendees, including 700 professionals and 310 journalists, with screenings almost sold out and industry sessions at 90% capacity.
    Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 19 Sep. 2025
  • School officials caution us that there’s more here than meets the eye; more on that in a minute as well.
    Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • North Carolina spends less on mental health and offers less access to care than most states — a gap highlighted after a woman was fatally stabbed on Charlotte’s Blue Line by a man with an alleged history of mental illness.
    Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 16 Sep. 2025
  • About 1 in 3 renters in the Los Angeles metro area spends 50% or more of their post-tax household income on rent.
    Stan Oklobdzija, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The system yields superior thermoelectric performance and higher average ZT values than previously reported p-type AgCuTe materials.
    Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2025
  • For a retiree with $1 million saved, the traditional 4 percent rule yields $40,000 annually.
    Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Meanwhile, over at Castle Leathers, Davina employs Julia to try to get Brian to see reason and stop his quest to go save Ellen.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The Balmain name employs a fraction of the percentage of what bigger-name luxury houses would employ.
    Cassell Ferere, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Higher salaries, premium training facilities, family accommodations like on-site child care, and more equitable profit-sharing deals could become the norm.
    Timeka Tounsel, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • While salaries are soaring in both, the off-field opportunities remain more plentiful for basketball’s biggest stars.
    Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Federal prosecutors charged a UK teenager with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and other crimes in connection with the network intrusions of 47 US companies that generated more than $115 million in ransomware payments over a three-year span.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 19 Sep. 2025
  • Waller emphasized that private-sector innovation paired with public infrastructure has always driven payments progress.
    Becca Bratcher, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images What To Know The program repays up to $20,000 in student loan debt over four years, according to HESAA.
    Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Pays.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pays. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

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