bought
ˈbȯt 
; buying
; buying
1
: to acquire possession, ownership, or rights to the use or services of by payment especially of money : purchase
buy a car
buying stock in the company
bought us dinner
2
a
: to obtain in exchange for something often at a sacrifice
They bought peace with their freedom.
b
Christianity
: redeem sense 6
bought us with his blood
4
: to be the purchasing equivalent of
The dollar buys less today than it used to.
: to make a purchase
Now is a good time to buy.
1
: something of value at a favorable price
2
: an act of acquiring possession, ownership, or rights to the use or services of something by payment especially of money : an act of buying (see buy entry 1 sense 1) : purchase
an undercover drug buy
Synonyms
Examples of buy in a Sentence
Verb
I bought this hat for $10.
He bought the quilt from a local artist.
Stock prices are low, so now is a good time to buy.
He said it was a mistake, but I don't buy it.
Noun
four cartons of ice cream for four dollars is a real buy
Recent Examples on the Web
Allison Morrow, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
China’s love of European cinema peaked in 2017, when close to 35 million Chinese moviegoers bought a ticket for a European production, some 11.3 million for Luc Besson’s sci-fi spectacle Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and 6.3 million for Paddington 2.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024
Todd Haselton, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024
Garvey announced a $5-million ad buy in September focused on Latino voters, including radio ads for 40 Spanish-language stations.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for buy 
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Verb
To buy a company, a PE firm typically relies on debt financing, aka borrowing the money from a bank.
—Allison Morrow, CNN, 22 Nov. 2024
China’s love of European cinema peaked in 2017, when close to 35 million Chinese moviegoers bought a ticket for a European production, some 11.3 million for Luc Besson’s sci-fi spectacle Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets and 6.3 million for Paddington 2.
—Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
Bank of America bumped its price target from $50 to $55 and maintained its buy rating.
—Todd Haselton, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2024
Garvey announced a $5-million ad buy in September focused on Latino voters, including radio ads for 40 Spanish-language stations.
—Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for buy
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Dictionary Entries Near buy
Cite this Entry
“Buy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buy. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
buy
1 of 2 verb
bought
ˈbȯt
; buying
; buying
1
: to get by paying money for : purchase
2
: to gain control over by bribery
buy votes
3
: believe sense 3
I don't buy that nonsense
buy
2 of 2 nounLove words? Need even more definitions?
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