buy
verb /baɪ/
/baɪ/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they buy | /baɪ/ /baɪ/ |
| he / she / it buys | /baɪz/ /baɪz/ |
| past simple bought | /bɔːt/ /bɔːt/ |
| past participle bought | /bɔːt/ /bɔːt/ |
| -ing form buying | /ˈbaɪɪŋ/ /ˈbaɪɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to obtain something by paying money for it
- buy (something) Where did you buy that dress?
- She had no money to buy a ticket.
- They can't afford to buy school books.
- If you're thinking of getting a new car, now is a good time to buy.
- buy something from somebody/something I bought it from a friend for £10.
- buy something off somebody/something (informal) She bought it off eBay for $50.
- buy somebody something He bought me a new coat.
- buy something for somebody He bought a new coat for me.
- buy something + adv./prep. I bought my car second-hand.
- They buy all their groceries in bulk .
- + adv./prep. It's generally cheaper if you buy online.
- They make their money by buying cheap and selling dear.
Homophones buy | by | byebuy by bye/baɪ//baɪ/- buy verb
- Some people buy all their groceries online.
- by preposition
- I think he was motivated by his mother.
- by adverb
- Don't let the opportunity pass you by.
- bye exclamation
- Bye! See you later.
Wordfinder- assistant
- buy
- counter
- display
- fitting room
- promotion
- sale
- shop
- store
- till
More Like This Verbs with two objectsVerbs with two objects- bet
- bring
- build
- buy
- cost
- get
- give
- leave
- lend
- make
- offer
- owe
- pass
- pay
- play
- post
- promise
- read
- refuse
- sell
- send
- show
- sing
- take
- teach
- tell
- throw
- wish
- write
Wordfinder- buy
- discount
- loyalty card
- purchase
- receipt
- reduction
- refund
- short-change
- store card
- voucher
Extra ExamplesTopics Shoppinga1, Moneya1, Houses and homesa1- He bought a car for his daughter.
- I bought it for $25.
- I bought some books from a friend.
- I can't afford to buy a new car.
- Old bicycles can be bought quite cheaply.
- She makes her living buying and selling antiques.
- Was the produce imported or bought locally?
- We can afford to buy enough paint to do the whole house.
- Young people are very comfortable buying online.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- cheaply
- online
- locally
- …
- can afford to
- can’t afford to
- at
- for
- from
- …
- buy and sell
- money can buy
- money can’t buy
- …
- [transitive] buy something (of money) to be enough to pay for something
- He gave his children the best education that money can buy.
- Five pounds doesn't buy much nowadays.
- There are some things money can't buy.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- cheaply
- online
- locally
- …
- can afford to
- can’t afford to
- at
- for
- from
- …
- buy and sell
- money can buy
- money can’t buy
- …
- [transitive] buy somebody to persuade somebody to do something dishonest in return for money synonym bribe
- He can't be bought (= he's too honest to accept money in this way).
- [transitive, usually passive] buy something to obtain something by losing something else of great value
- Her fame was bought at the expense of her marriage.
- [transitive] buy something (informal) to believe that something is true, especially something that is not very likely
- You could say you were ill but I don't think they'd buy it (= accept the explanation).
with money
obtain
believe
Word OriginOld English bycgan, of Germanic origin.
Idioms
the best that money can buy
- the very best
- We make sure our clients get the best that money can buy.
(have) bought it
- (informal) to have been killed, especially in an accident or a war
- Joe finally bought it in a plane crash in Tunisia.
buy back the farm
- (Australian English, New Zealand English, informal) to get back a country's assets, such as land or property, after they have been owned by another country
- The prime minister revealed his plan to buy back the farm from foreign ownership.
buy the farm
- (North American English, informal) to die
buy time
- to do something in order to delay an event, a decision, etc.
- The negotiators kept the gunman talking to buy time for the hostages.
(buy) a pig in a poke
- if you buy a pig in a poke, you buy something without seeing it or knowing if it is good enough
- Buying from a catalogue can mean buying a pig in a poke.
sell somebody/buy a pup
- (British English, old-fashioned, informal) to sell somebody something/to buy something that has no value or is worth much less than the price paid