Tra từ pay - Từ điển tiếng Anh - Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary

pay UK US [peɪ] verb [ paid ], [ paid ] [ paid pays paying ]

BUY

1. <E > intransitive or transitive to give money to someone for something you want to buy or for services provided
• How much did you pay for the tickets?
• I pay my taxes.
• Will you pay these cheques into (US usually deposit these checks in) my account for me?
• + two objects I'll pay you the fiver back tomorrow.
• I paid the driver (in/with) cash.
• Would you prefer to pay with/by cash, cheque or credit card?
• + object + to infinitive I think we'll need to pay a builder to take this wall down.
• Did Linda pay you for looking after her cats while she was away?
• I paid (out) a lot of money to get the washing machine fixed and it still doesn't work!
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Paying and spending money ↑Buying and selling in general
2. pay for itself
If something pays for itself, it works so well that it saves the same amount of money that it cost
• The advertising should pay for itself.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Profits and losses

Common errors:
When the direct object of pay is the thing that you buy, pay is always followed by 'for':
✗ You have to pay the tickets in advance.
• You have to pay for the tickets in advance.
In all other cases, pay is followed by the direct or indirect object only:
• You have to pay the bill in advance.
• You have to pay £20 in advance.
• You have to pay the driver in advance.
Warning: Check your verb endings!
Many learners make mistakes when using pay in the past tense.
In the past simple and past participle, don't write 'paied' or 'payed', write paid.
The -ing form is paying.

• I pay my electricity bill by direct debit.
• Very few people can afford to pay those prices.
• How much did you pay for your glasses?
• We agreed to pay for the car by instalments.
• I've been saving all year to pay for our holiday.

WORK

3. <E > intransitive or transitive to give money to someone for work which they have done
• The company pays £220 a week for people to act as couriers.
• Accountancy may be boring but at least it pays well.
• Most of these women are very poorly paid and work in terrible conditions.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Paying and spending money

Common errors:
Warning: Check your verb endings!
Many learners make mistakes when using pay in the past tense.
In the past simple and past participle, don't write 'paied' or 'payed', write paid.
The -ing form is paying.

• I'll pay you double if you get the work finished by Friday.
• This magazine has considerable financial muscle and can afford to pay top journalists.
• They pay me next to nothing but I really enjoy the work.
• The law obliges companies to pay decent wages to their employees.
• You'll be paid on completion of the project.

PROFIT

4. <A > intransitive to give a profit or advantage to someone or something
• It never pays to take risks where human safety is concerned.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Helping and co-operating

Common errors:
Warning: Check your verb endings!
Many learners make mistakes when using pay in the past tense.
In the past simple and past participle, don't write 'paied' or 'payed', write paid.
The -ing form is paying.

• Crime really doesn't pay.
• It always pays to keep on top of your work.
• It would pay you to be more cautious about future investments.
• It pays to get some professional advice first.
• It never pays to rush into things.

GIVE

5. <A > transitive to give or do something
• Please pay attention, I've got something important to say.
• The commander paid tribute to the courage of his troops.
• It's always nice to be paid a compliment.
• A crowd of mourners gathered to pay their respects to the dead man.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Giving, providing and supplying
6. pay (sb) a call
to visit someone
• I'll pay you a call when I'm in the area.
• If you leave your address, I'll pay a call on you when I'm in the area.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Visiting

Common errors:
Warning: Check your verb endings!
Many learners make mistakes when using pay in the past tense.
In the past simple and past participle, don't write 'paied' or 'payed', write paid.
The -ing form is paying.

• She complained that her husband never paid her any compliments any more.
• He never paid attention in class and seemed to be in a permanent daydream.
• On this occasion we pay homage to him for his achievements.
• The teacher gently reproved the boys for not paying attention.
• You'd do well to pay heed to what your grandmother says.
Idioms: He who pays the piper calls the tune ▪ You pays your money and you takes your choice ▪ pay dividends ▪ pay the price ▪ pay the ultimate price ▪ pay through the nose ▪ pay top dollar ▪ pay your dues ▪ pay your way ▪ put paid to something
Phrasal Verbs: pay for something ▪ pay off ▪ pay out ▪ pay somebody back ▪ pay somebody off ▪ pay something in ▪ pay something off ▪ pay something out ▪ pay up

noun uncountable pay, wage, salary, or income?
Pay is a general word which means the money that you receive for working. • Doctors usually get more pay than teachers.
A wage is an amount of money you receive each day or week. It is often paid in cash (= notes and coins). • His weekly wage is $400.
A salary is the money you receive each month. A person's salary is often expressed as the total amount in a year. • His salary is £20, 000.
Your income is the total amount of money that you get by working or other sources. • She has a monthly income of £1, 400.
1. <E > the money you receive for doing a job
• UK Any pay rise (US usually raise) must be in line with inflation.
• It's a nice job but the pay is appalling.
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Earning money and money earned
2. be in the pay of sb
to work for someone, especially secretly
Thesaurus⁺: ↑Recruiting staff, applying for and accepting jobs

• The unions are in dispute with management over pay.
• Many employees have had to take drastic cuts in pay.
• Management has/have offered staff a 3% pay increase.
• When you reckon in all my overtime, my total pay is quite good.
• If it's a choice between higher pay and job security, I'd prefer to keep my job.