a system in which a buyer takes possession of merchandise on payment of a deposit and completes the purchase by paying a series of instalments while the seller retains ownership until the final instalment is paid
buying a car on hire purchase
Synonyms
credit
H.P.
finance
easy terms
the never-never
installment plan
Nearby words of
hire purchase
hipbone
hippy
hire
hire purchase
hire something or someone out
hirsute
hiss
Synonyms of 'hire purchase'
hire purchase
Explore 'hire purchase' in the dictionary
hire purchase
uncountable noun [oft NOUN noun]
Hire purchase is a way of buying goods gradually. You make regular payments until you have paid the full price and the goods belong to you. The abbreviation HP is often used.
[British]
...the serious problem of hire purchase and credit card debts.
...buying a car on hire purchase.
regional note: in AM, usually use installment plan
Synonyms: credit, H.P., finance, easy terms More Synonyms of hire purchase
hire purchase in British English
(ˈhaɪə ˈpɜːtʃɪs)
noun
British, Australian, New Zealand and South Africa
a system for purchasing merchandise, such as cars or furniture, in which the buyer takes possession of the merchandise on payment of a deposit and completes the purchase by paying a series of regular instalments while the seller retains ownership until the final instalment is paid
She considered buying a car on hire purchase.
See also hire purchase agreement
hire-purchase in British English
noun
British, Australian, New Zealand and South Africa
a.
a system for purchasing merchandise, such as cars or furniture, in which the buyertakes possession of the merchandise on payment of a deposit and completes the purchaseby paying a series of regular instalments while the seller retains ownership untilthe final instalment is paid
b.
(as modifier)
hire-purchase legislation
Abbreviation: HP, h.p.. US and Canadian equivalents: instalment plan, installment plan
hire purchase in American English
British
installment plan
Examples of 'hire purchase' in a sentence
hire purchase
With hire purchase you will pay an upfront deposit and then make staged payments.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Reviewing credit applications for hire purchase agreements.
The Sun (2009)
One of the most common methods of buying a car is hire purchase.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He had got a job, a mortgage and a car on hire purchase.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Cars bought on hire purchase were down 31 per cent.
The Sun (2011)
Hire purchase This might also be on offer.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The idea that there was a time when a woman was not allowed to buy anything on hire purchase without a man's signature now seems almost prehistoric.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
There's danger in not keeping up with the hire-purchase agreements, if you bring it down to the mundane.