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
David Brennan, ABC News, 5 Mar. 2025
In a joint address to Congress in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Trump touted BlackRock’s deal to buy the two Panama Canal ports.
—Zinnia Lee, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Jeff Marks, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2025
Reach out to the workforce planning team to learn more about its buy, borrow, build talent management strategy.
—Trevor Higgs, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for buy
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Verb
This is what the Americans and their leaders need to understand, we cannot be bought and we cannot be ignored.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 5 Mar. 2025
In a joint address to Congress in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, Trump touted BlackRock’s deal to buy the two Panama Canal ports.
—Zinnia Lee, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Noun
Following the buy, the Trust will own 300 shares of HON, increasing its weighting to 1.75% from 1.55%.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2025
Reach out to the workforce planning team to learn more about its buy, borrow, build talent management strategy.
—Trevor Higgs, Forbes, 5 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 17 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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