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 Mum bought me a new coat.
- buy something for somebody Mum 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.
More Like This Verbs with two objectsVerbs with two objectsExtra ExamplesTopics Shoppinga1, Moneya1, Houses and homesa1- They bought a car for their daughter.
- I bought it for $25.
- She 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
- …
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- [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
See buy in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee buy in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishthe 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 online 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
Check pronunciation:
buy