pay
1 pay /ˈpeɪ/ verb
pays; paid /ˈpeɪd/; paying
1 pay
/ˈpeɪ/
verb
pays; paid /ˈpeɪd/; paying
Learner's definition of PAY
1
a [no object] : to give money for goods or services付（钱）；支付— often + for
- I already paid last week.我上周已经付过钱。
- Where do we pay to get in?我们在哪儿买票进场？
- Do we have to pay to park here?在这儿停车要付费吗？
- They left the restaurant without paying.他们没有付钱就离开了饭店。
- Should I pay in dollars or pesos?我应该用美元还是比索付费？
- We're trying to attract more paying customers [=customers that buy things from our company] through our Web site.我们正努力通过网站吸引更多的顾客。
- paying passengers支付车费的乘客
- After their children left for college, they began opening their home to paying guests. [=people who give you money to live in your house with you for a short time]孩子上大学以后，他们开始把房子出租给房客。
- He offered to pay for our dinner.他主动为我们的晚餐付账。
- How will you be paying for your purchase: (in) cash, (by) check, or (with a) credit card?你怎么付费，现金、支票还是信用卡？
- “That cheap camera I bought is broken already.” “Well, you get what you pay for.” [=a thing that can be bought for a very low price probably isn't very good]“我买的那个廉价的照相机已经坏了。”“噢，一分钱一分货。”
b [+ object] : to give money to (someone) for goods or services支付给（某人）— often followed by to + verb常接动词不定式— sometimes + in
- I'll pay the taxi driver.我来付钱给出租车司机。
- Has anyone paid her yet?有人付过她钱吗？
- We get paid on Fridays.我们星期五发工资。
- The workers get paid well. = The workers are well-paid.这些工人工资高。
- They're going to pay a crew to paint the house.他们打算雇人粉刷房子。
- You couldn't pay me to jump out of an airplane! [=I would never jump out of an airplane, even if you gave me a lot of money]你出大价钱我也不会从飞机上跳下去。
- “Did he give you a check?” “No, he paid me in cash.”“他给你支票了吗？”“没有，他付的是现金。”
- When he mowed her lawn, she paid him in cookies. [=she gave him cookies for mowing her lawn]他帮她修剪草坪，她给了他曲奇饼当报酬。
c [+ object] : to give (something, such as an amount of money) for goods or services支付…
- I paid $200 to him yesterday. = I paid him $200 yesterday.我昨天付给他200美元。
- These workers are paid extremely low wages by their employers.这些工人从雇主那儿拿到的工资少得可怜。
- She pays 15 percent (of her earnings) to her agent.她把收入的15%付给代理人。
- I paid a lot of money for this car.这辆车花了我很多钱。
- How much are you willing to pay?你愿意付多少钱？
- They paid over $300,000 for their house.他们花了30多万美元买房子。
- They paid a high price [=a lot of money] for that painting.他们买那幅画花了很多钱。
- I couldn't afford to pay cash, so I put it on my credit card.我现金不够，所以用信用卡支付。
- We paid good money [=we gave a large amount of money] to see this show, and we want our money's worth!我们为了看这场演出付了很多钱，因此我们想要物有所值。
d — used to say how much someone earns for doing a job挣工资
[no object]
- My job doesn't pay very well. [=I don't earn much money from my job]我的工作工资不高。
- It's difficult work that pays relatively poorly.这个工作难度大，工资相对低。
- high-paying jobs高收入的工作
[+ object]
- The job pays $150,000 a year.这份工作年薪15万美元。
2
[+ object] : to give the money that you owe for (something)付钱；偿还
- I can't afford to pay my rent.我付不起房租。
- paying taxes/fines/penalties缴税/罚金/罚款
- Use the company's financing plan and pay no interest for a full year.采用公司的财务计划，整整一年不用付利息。
- Has this bill been paid?付过账了吗？
- The receipt shows that their bill has been paid in full. [=all of the money they owed has been paid]收据显示他们已经将钱全部付清。
3
: to have a good or helpful result : to be worth the expense or effort to do something有所值— often followed by to + verb常接动词不定式
[no object]
- Hard work always pays [=pays off] in the long run.辛苦的工作最终总是值得的。
- Crime doesn't pay. [=you get more trouble than benefit from committing a crime]作奸犯科是没有好下场的。
- It pays [=it is worth the effort] to study your notes after every class.每次课后都学习笔记对你会有好处的。
- When the roads are icy, it pays to drive slowly.路面结冰时，慢一点开车有好处。
- It pays to advertise.做广告是值得的。
[+ object]
- It pays stores to be open on the weekends. [=stores benefit from being open on the weekends]商店周末营业是有回报的。
- Spending a lot of money on advertising has paid dividends for our company. [=has given our company extra advantages or benefits]花大价钱做广告已经给公司带来了丰厚的利益。
- Our efforts are finally paying dividends. [=we are finally getting the results we want from our efforts]我们的努力最终正在带来丰厚的回报。
4
[+ object] : to give (a percentage of money) as the profit from an investment or business（投资、商业等）有收益
- The investment paid eight percent last year.去年的投资收益为百分之八。
- a savings account paying four percent interest支付百分之四利息的储蓄账户
5
a [no object] : to deal with the bad result of something that you did : to be punished for doing something自食恶果；付出代价— often + for
- If you offend him, he will make you pay.如果你冒犯他，他会让你付出代价的。
- I'll make you pay for what you've done to me!我会让你为你对我所做的付出代价！
- You'll pay for this!你会自食恶果的！
- She paid dearly for her mistakes. [=she suffered a lot as a result of her mistakes]她为她所犯的错误付出了昂贵的代价。
- He thinks that the people who committed these terrible crimes should pay with their lives. [=should be killed]他认为这些罪大恶极的人应该被处死。
b [+ object] : to give, lose, or suffer (something) as a punishment for or result of something else付出（代价）
- We all felt that 25 years in prison was a high/small price to pay for his crimes.我们都觉得25年监禁对于他的罪行来说是极高/很小的代价。
◊ If you pay a/the price or pay a heavy/high/steep (etc.) price or (Brit) pay the penalty for something, you experience the bad effects or results of that thing.为某事付出（沉重的）代价；受到惩罚
- I knew the consequences of what I was about to do, but I was willing to pay the price.我知道我要做的事情的后果，但是我愿意为此付出代价。
- Famous people always pay a price for their fame.名人总是要为名声付出代价。
- She paid a heavy price for telling the truth.她为讲真话付出了沉重的代价。
- Someone has to pay the penalty for these mistakes.有人要为这些错误付出代价。
6
[+ object] — used in various phrases that describe giving your attention to what is being done or said注意
- Are you paying attention? [=are you listening and trying to understand?]你在听吗？
- Remember to pay close attention to the instructions.记住认真注意指令。
- He's just teasing you. Don't pay any attention to him. = Pay no attention to him. [=don't be upset by what he is saying]他不过跟你开个玩笑，不必理会。
- He kept talking but she paid him no mind. [=she didn't listen to what he said]他一直在说话，但她不予理会。
- Pay heed to what he says. [=listen to what he says]注意他所说的。
7
[+ object] — used to describe saying or doing something that expresses respect, admiration, etc., for someone致以（敬意、仰慕等）
- She paid me a compliment. [=she said something nice about me]她夸奖了我。
- We gather here today to pay tribute/homage to [=to honor and praise] a great woman.我们今天相聚这里是为了向一位伟大的女性表示敬意/崇敬。
hell to pay
or the devil to pay— used to say that if a specific thing happens, something else that is very bad will be the result or someone will get very upset出大麻烦；有严重后果
- We knew that if anyone caught us cheating there would be hell to pay. [=we would be severely punished]我们知道如果有人抓住我们作弊，就要出大麻烦了。
- There'll be the devil to pay if we don't finish on time.如果我们不能按时完成，就会有严重后果。
pay a call/visit
: to go somewhere to visit someone拜访
- She paid me a visit [=she came to visit me] while I was in the hospital. = She paid a call on me while I was in the hospital.我住院时她来看过我。
pay back
[phrasal verb]1
pay back (something) or pay (something) back : to return (an amount of money) that someone allowed you to borrow还（借款）
- She has to pay back the $100 she borrowed.她得还所借的100美元。
- He said that he'll pay the money back tomorrow.他说他明天还钱。
- paying back a loan还贷
2
pay (someone) back or pay back (someone)还（某人的）…
a : to give (someone) the amount of money that you borrowed还钱
- I'll pay you back when I get the money.我拿到钱后就还你。
- I lent him money and he never paid me back.我借给他钱，可他从来不还给我。
- I have to pay back my sister for that loan.我得还从我妹妹那儿借的钱。
b : to punish or hurt (someone who did something bad to you)报复（某人）— see also payback
- I wanted to pay him back [=get back at him; make him suffer] for all the pain he caused me.鉴于他给我带来的所有痛苦，我要报复他。
- He's finally getting paid back for all the trouble he caused.他最终为他惹出的所有麻烦埋单。
c : to do something good for (someone who did something good for you)报答（某人）
- How can I pay you back for all your help?我如何才能报答你对我的所有帮助？
pay court to
pay for itself
◊ If you buy something that pays for itself, the amount of money you save by using the product for a period of time is more than the amount of money you spent when you bought the product.收回成本
- You save so much on heating costs with our high-quality windows that the windows will pay for themselves within five years!使用我们的优质窗户，你可以节省大量供暖费用，五年内就可以收回成本。
pay in
[phrasal verb]pay in (something) or pay (something) in British
: to put (money) in an account : deposit把（钱）存入账户
- I went to the bank to pay in a cheque.我去银行存入一张支票。
- paying a cheque in an account把支票存入账户
pay into
[phrasal verb]pay into (something) chiefly US
: to put money into (a fund or account)存入
- Each month she pays into an account that can be used for medical expenses.她每个月存钱到用于支付医疗费用的账户。
pay off
[phrasal verb]1
: to produce a result that you want得到回报
- It's great to see that all of our hard work has finally paid off.很高兴看到我们付出的所有努力终于得到回报。
2
pay off (something) or pay (something) off : to give all of the money that you owe for (something that you pay for over a period of time)清偿；还清
- It will take us 30 years to pay off our mortgage, but then the house will be ours.我们要30年才能还清房贷，不过到那时房子就是我们的了。
- If I won the money, I'd use it to pay off all my credit cards.如果赢了钱，我将用来还清所有的信用卡花费。
- paying off your debts还清债务
- She finally got her car paid off. [=she finally paid all the money she had borrowed to buy her car]她最终还清了买车所借的钱。
3
pay off (someone) or pay (someone) off
a : to give money to (someone) in order to make that person do something illegal or dishonest for you or to convince that person not to talk about something收买；买通；给封口费
- He tried to pay off [=bribe] a police officer.他试图买通一位警官。
- The company was accused of paying off its employees to keep them from talking about its illegal activities.公司被指控买通员工，使他们不谈论公司的非法行为。
b British : to stop employing (someone) after paying all of the money that was owed to that person付清工资后解雇（某人）— see also payoff
- They paid off all their workers and then closed the factory.他们付清所有工人的工资后关闭了工厂。
pay out
[phrasal verb]1
pay out (something) or pay (something) out
: to give (an amount of money) to someone usually over a period of time（在一段时间内）花费，支出— see also payout
- The government has paid out [=disbursed] millions of dollars in foreign aid.政府已支出几百万美元用于对外援助。
- The prize money will be paid out (to the winner) over the course of five years.奖金将在五年内支付（给获胜者）。
2
: to allow (a rope or chain) to become loose and move through your hands松开（绳索）
- We lowered the anchor and continued to pay out several more feet of rope.我们下锚后又继续放松几英尺缆绳。
pay the piper
pay through the nose
pay up
[phrasal verb] somewhat informal1
: to pay what you owe : to pay what is due付清（债务）
- We paid up and left.我们付了欠款后就走了。
- He decided to pay up after they threatened to take him to court for the money.他们威胁说如果他不还钱就把他告到法院，于是他决定把钱还给他们。
2
◊ If you are paid up, you have given all of the money that you owe until a specific date.付清全部欠款
- You're (all) paid up through June. [=you do not have to pay any more money until after June]你直到六月底的（整个）费用都已付清了。
pay your dues
pay your (own) way
: to use your own money to pay for the things you need or do自食其力；自己付钱做…
- She got a part-time job in order to pay her way through college.为了自食其力读完大学，她找了份兼职工作。
- Students must pay their own way if they choose to participate in the trip.学生要想参加这次旅行，必须自掏费用。
- I wanted to buy him dinner, but he insisted on paying his own way.我想替他支付晚餐费用，但是他坚持自己付钱。
pay your respects
formal: to visit or speak with someone in a polite way as a sign of respect（探望或问候某人以示敬意）拜访，拜见
- I went up to her after the meeting and paid my respects.会后我走到她面前拜见了她。
- We paid our last respects at his funeral. [=we went to his funeral as a sign of respect]我们在他的葬礼上向他表达最后的敬意。
put paid to
British, informal: to cause (something) to end : to stop (something)使结束；使停止
- The storm put paid to his attempt to sail around the world.暴风雨使他打消了环球航行的念头。
- They hope to put paid to the argument once and for all.他们希望彻底停止争论。
— see also 2paid
2 pay /ˈpeɪ/ noun
2 pay
/ˈpeɪ/
noun
Learner's definition of PAY
[noncount]
: money received in exchange for work : money paid to someone for doing work工资；薪金— see also base pay, co-pay, sick pay, take-home pay
- receiving higher/better/lower pay得到更高/更好/更低的工资
- The work is hard, but the pay is good. [=you earn a lot of money by doing the work]那份工作辛苦，但工资高。
- She spent a week's pay [=the amount of money she earns in one week] in just one night.她一个晚上就花费了一周的收入。
- He has been suspended without pay pending the results of the investigation.他被暂时停职停发工资，等待调查结果。
- “Women,” she said, “should receive equal pay for equal work.” [=they should be paid the same amount of money as men who perform the same job]“女性，”她说，“应与男性同工同酬。”
- When he works on the weekends, he collects overtime pay. [=an increased rate of money earned for working more than the usual number of hours in one week]他周末加班，可以领到加班费。
- The company owes her $500 in back pay. [=money that is owed to a worker from an earlier time]公司拖欠了她500美元的工资。
- severance pay [=money given to workers when a company ends their jobs]解雇金
- The workers are demanding an increase in their rate of pay. = The workers are demanding an increase in their pay rate. [=the amount of money they are paid per hour, week, etc.]工人要求提高工资标准。
- Each pay period begins on the first of the month.工资周期从每月的第一天开始。
- (US) He asked for a pay raise = (Brit) He asked for a pay rise.他要求加薪。
- Workers received a $4,000 pay increase.工人得到了4000美元的加薪。
- I took a significant pay cut when I took this job, but I think it was worth it.我拿到这份工作时，工资骤降，但我认为值得。
in the pay of someone
: working usually in a secret way for a person or organization被（某人或组织）收买；为（某人或组织）秘密工作
- He was accused of being in the pay of gangsters.他被指控被歹徒收买。
