pay bed noun

A bed, specif in a National Health Service hospital, available to a patient who pays for its use (private pay bed one available to a patient who pays for its use and for his or her own treatment; cf amenity bed)

payˈ-bill or payˈ-sheet noun

A statement of money to be paid to workmen, etc

payˈ-box or payˈ-desk noun

A box or desk at which a customer pays

payday noun

A regular day for payment, eg of wages

payday lender noun

A company that provides payday loans (see below)

payday loan noun

A short-term, high-interest loan, to be repaid on the borrower's next payday

pay dirt noun

1. Gravel or sand containing enough gold to be worth working (also pay gravel)
2. A source of riches

pay envelope noun (N American)

Pay packet

payˈfone same as payphone below.

paying guest noun (euphemistic)

A lodger

paylist see payroll below.

payˈload noun

1. That part of the cargo of an aeroplane or other conveyance for which revenue is obtained
2. The part of a rocket's equipment that is to fulfil the purpose of the rocket, such as a warhead, or apparatus for obtaining information

payˈmaster noun

1. The master who pays
2. The official in an organization, government, etc who pays out money

Paymaster General noun

1. The minister at the head of a department of the Treasury that makes payments on behalf of government departments
2. In the navy, an officer in charge of the bureau dealing with payments, clothing, etc (US)
3. Formerly also a similar officer in the army (US)

payment card noun

A credit card

payˈ-off noun

1. (time of) payment esp of a reward or punishment
2. Outcome
3. A particularly useful or desirable result
4. Dénouement

payˈ-office noun

The place where payments are made

pay-out see pay out below.

pay packet noun

1. An envelope containing a person's wages
2. Wages

pay-per-click noun

A form of Internet advertising in which the advertiser pays according to the number of clicks made by users on the advertisement (also adjective)

pay-per-viewˈ noun

A form of pay television (qv below) in which viewers use a smart card to gain access to the service (also adjective)

payˈphone noun

A coin- or card-operated public telephone

payˈroll noun

1. The money for paying wages
2. (also payˈlist) a list of people entitled to receive pay, with the amounts due to each
3. A computer program for calculating wages

payroll giving noun

Contributions to charity which are deducted from one's wages and paid by one's employer directly to the charity concerned

payˈslip noun

A note to a worker (giving an analysis) of the sum paid in wages

pay station noun (US)

A telephone call-box

pay television or pay TV noun

Satellite or cable television available to subscribers

payˈwall noun

An arrangement allowing access to a website only to users who have paid to subscribe to it

in the pay of

Receiving payment from in return for services, used esp in a sinister sense

pay back

1. To pay in return (a debt)
2. To give tit for tat (payˈback noun)

pay cash

To pay for something at the time of the transaction, ie not using credit terms

pay down

1. To pay (eg a first instalment) in cash on the spot
2. To pay back debt

pay for

1. To make amends for
2. To suffer for
3. To bear the expense of

pay in

1. To contribute to a fund
2. To deposit money in a bank account

pay off

1. To pay in full and discharge (a debt, an employee, etc)
2. To take revenge upon
3. To requite
4. To fall away to leeward (nautical)
5. To yield good results, justify itself (see also pay-off above)

pay one's (or its) way

1. To have or bring enough to pay expenses
2. To compensate adequately for initial outlay

pay out

1. To release (a rope, etc) gradually, to feed or run out
2. To disburse (payˈ-out noun)
3. To punish deservedly

pay round

To turn the ship's head

pay the piper see under pipe¹

pay through the nose

To pay more than the fair price, to pay dearly

pay up

1. To pay in full
2. To pay arrears
3. To pay (for) in instalments
4. To accept the necessity and pay
5. To pay on demand

private /prīˈvət/

adjective

1. (of a person or individual) not in public office
2. (of a member of parliament) not holding government office
3. (of a soldier) not an officer or non-commissioned officer
4. Peculiar to oneself, personal, individual
5. Own
6. Relating to personal affairs
7. Set apart or divorced from matters of state
8. In an unofficial capacity
9. Belonging to or concerning an individual person or company
10. (of industries, etc) owned and run by private individuals, not by the state
11. Not coming under the state system of education, health care, social welfare, etc
12. Paid for or paying individually by fee
13. Independent
14. Not open to or available for the use of the general public
15. Not made known generally
16. Confidential
17. Retired from observation, secluded
18. Of reserved personality, shunning publicity
19. Alone (old)
20. Privy (obsolete)

noun

1. Privacy
2. A private person (Shakespeare, Milton)
3. (in pl) private parts
4. A private soldier
5. A secret message (Shakespeare)

prīˈvately adverb

prīˈvateness noun (rare)

privatizāˈtion or privatisāˈtion noun

prīˈvatize or prīˈvatise transitive verb

1. To transfer from ownership by the state into private ownership
2. To denationalize

priˈvatizer or priˈvatiser noun

private act or private bill noun

One that deals with the concerns of private persons

private company noun

A company whose shares may not be offered to the general public

private detective see detective under detect

private enterprise noun

An economic system in which individual private firms operate and compete freely

private equity company noun (commerce)

A private company that uses borrowed capital to fund takeovers

private eye noun (informal)

A private detective

private first class noun

A rank in the US Army between private and corporal

private hotel noun

A term of uncertain meaning, popularly understood to imply that the proprietors do not commit themselves to receiving chance travellers

private house noun

The dwelling-house of a private individual, as contrasted with a shop, office or public building

private income noun

Private means (qv below)

private investigator noun (esp N American)

A private detective

private judgement noun

Freedom to judge for oneself, eg (religion) unhindered by the interpretation of the church

private law noun

That part of law which deals with the rights and duties of persons as individuals in relation to each other

private life noun

Personal, social and family relationships and activities, esp of someone much in the public eye

private means noun

Income from investments, etc as opposed to salary or fees for work done

private member's bill noun

A bill introduced and sponsored by a private member in parliament

private parts plural noun (euphemistic)

The external sexual or excretory organs

private patient noun

In the UK, a patient whose treatment is not being paid for by the National Health Service

private pay bed see pay bed under pay¹

private practice noun

In the UK, medical practice that does not come under the National Health Service

private press noun

A printing concern run by a private individual for recreation rather than profitmaking

private school noun

A school run independently by an individual or a group, esp for profit

private secretary noun

1. A secretary who looks after the personal and confidential affairs of a business person, etc
2. An aide to a government minister or senior official

private sector noun

The part of a country's economy owned, operated, etc, by private individuals and firms, opp to public sector

private treaty noun

A method of selling property in which the selling price is negotiated directly by the buyer and seller

private view noun

A preview of an art exhibition, etc held for specially invited guests, before it is opened to the general public

private wrong noun

An injury done to an individual in his or her private capacity

in private

1. Not in public
2. Away from public view
3. Secretly