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Definition of pay noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

pay

noun
 
 
/peɪ/
 
/peɪ/
[uncountable]Idioms
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  1. the money that somebody gets for doing regular work
    • Her job is hard work, but the pay is good.
    • workers on low pay
    • overtime/holiday pay
    • Her monthly take-home pay after taxes is $2 600.
    • the principle of equal pay for equal work
    • Two members of staff have been suspended on full pay.
    • a pay increase/cut
    • (British English) a pay rise
    • (North American English) a pay raise
    • a 3 per cent pay offer
    • The company has imposed a two-year pay freeze.
    • the pay gap between men and women
    • to make a pay claim (= to officially ask for an increase in pay)
    • They demanded improved pay and conditions.
    see also hazard pay, sick payTopics Moneya2, Working lifea2
    Synonyms incomeincomewage/​wages ▪ pay ▪ salary ▪ earningsThese are all words for money that a person earns or receives for their work.income money that a person receives for their work, or from investments or business:
    • people on low incomes
    wage/​wages money that employees get for doing their job, usually paid every week or every month:
    • a weekly wage of £400
    pay money that employees earn for doing their job:
    • The job offers good rates of pay.
    salary money that employees earn for doing their job, usually paid every month.     wage, pay or salary?Pay is the most general of these three words. In the past, employees who worked in factories, shops etc. got their wages each week, often paid in cash. These days they are more likely to be paid each month, directly into their bank account, but the term wage is still used for these kinds of jobs. Employees who work in offices or professional people such as teachers or doctors receive a salary that is paid each month, but is usually expressed as an annual figure.earnings money that a person earns from their work:
    • a rise in average earnings for factory workers
    Patterns
    • (a) high/​low/​basic income/​wage/​pay/​salary/​earnings
    • to earn an income/​a wage/​your pay/​a salary
    • to be on a(n) income/​wage/​salary of…
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    Extra Examples
    • He doubled his pay by accepting bribes.
    • He has been suspended without pay.
    • He has taken leave on half pay.
    • He's at the top of his company's pay scale.
    • His pay package including bonuses was worth at least $12 million.
    • The job offers good rates of pay and excellent conditions.
    • The workers are demanding their back pay (= money that they are owed for work done in the past).
    • Women are eligible for 18 weeks maternity leave on full pay.
    • Women are still decades away from achieving pay equity with men.
    • equal pay for men and women
    • industrial unrest over pay levels in the public sector
    • the average take-home pay of a manual worker
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • hourly
    • monthly
    • weekly
    • …
    … of pay
    • level
    • rate
    verb + pay
    • earn
    • get
    • receive
    • …
    pay + noun
    • day
    • cheque
    • packet
    • …
    preposition
    • on… pay
    • with pay
    • without pay
    • …
    phrases
    • a cut in pay
    • an increase in pay
    • a reduction in pay
    • …
    See full entry
    Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘pacify’): from Old French paie (noun), payer (verb), from Latin pacare ‘appease’, from pax, pac- ‘peace’. The notion of ‘payment’ arose from the sense of ‘pacifying’ a creditor.
Idioms
be above/beyond somebody's pay grade
  1. to be a decision or an area of work that somebody does not have the authority or expert knowledge to deal with
    • This decision is above my pay grade.
    Topics Working lifec2
in the pay of somebody/something
  1. (usually disapproving) working for somebody or for an organization, often secretly
    • He was in the pay of the drugs barons.
See pay in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee pay in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: pay

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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