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
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
Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
But still, there’s nothing like the nerves of showing up on your first day of any job, let alone to have to shoot your most important scenes that really determined whether people buy into the movie or not.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2025
Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
The new product will be launched in the coming weeks and will be scaled to all Walmart channels by the holiday season, likely leaving it the retailer’s only buy now, pay later option by year-end.
—Hugh Son, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for buy
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Verb
In essence, people who lease a car today are helping to buy Tesla a fleet for tomorrow.
—Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
But still, there’s nothing like the nerves of showing up on your first day of any job, let alone to have to shoot your most important scenes that really determined whether people buy into the movie or not.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2025
Noun
Federal prosecutors in San Diego said more than 150 law enforcement agents took part in the operation, which was the culmination of a 16-month investigation that had involved undercover drug buys, covert surveillance and wiretaps.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2025
The new product will be launched in the coming weeks and will be scaled to all Walmart channels by the holiday season, likely leaving it the retailer’s only buy now, pay later option by year-end.
—Hugh Son, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for buy
Articles Related to buy
Cite this Entry
“Buy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buy. Accessed 21 Mar. 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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