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
Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2025
There were 30 million metric tons of food sitting at a port in Houston all week because there weren't U.S. workers to unload the food aid, food American taxpayers had already bought, food that Secretary Rubio said should be delivered, but wasn't.
—CBS News, 9 Feb. 2025
Samantha Subin, CNBC, 7 Feb. 2025
At the same time, skincare buys also saw a major uptick, signaling a collective resolve to invest in self-care during the colder, drier months.
—Venus Wong, refinery29.com, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for buy 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Pilot offers free drink with the purchase of any two slices of pizza
On Sunday, customers can buy two slices of pizza and get a free medium Coke at participating Pilot and Flying J travel centers, the company told USA TODAY.
—Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2025
There were 30 million metric tons of food sitting at a port in Houston all week because there weren't U.S. workers to unload the food aid, food American taxpayers had already bought, food that Secretary Rubio said should be delivered, but wasn't.
—CBS News, 9 Feb. 2025
Noun
Drew Angerer | Getty Images Affirm shares jumped 22.8% on Friday after the buy now, pay later company topped Wall Street’s fiscal second-quarter revenue forecast and posted a surprise profit during a strong holiday shopping period.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 7 Feb. 2025
At the same time, skincare buys also saw a major uptick, signaling a collective resolve to invest in self-care during the colder, drier months.
—Venus Wong, refinery29.com, 7 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for buy
Articles Related to buy
Dictionary Entries Near buy
Cite this Entry
“Buy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buy. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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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