/ baɪ; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
( bought , bought / bɔːt; NAmE /)
WITH MONEY
1.
buy sb sth | buy sth (for sb) to obtain sth by paying money for it :
[ vnn , vn ]
He bought me a new coat.
He bought a new coat for me.
[ vn ]
Where did you buy that dress?
I bought it from a friend for £10.
[ v ]
If you're thinking of getting a new car, now is a good time to buy.
[ vn - adj ]
I bought my car second-hand.
OPP sell
2.
[ vn ] ( of money ) to be enough to pay for sth :
He gave his children the best education that money can buy.
Five pounds doesn't buy much nowadays.
3.
[ vn ] to persuade sb to do sth dishonest in return for money
SYN bribe :
He can't be bought (= he's too honest to accept money in this way) .
OBTAIN
4.
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] to obtain sth by losing sth else of great value :
Her fame was bought at the expense of her marriage.
BELIEVE
5.
[ vn ] ( informal ) to believe that sth is true, especially sth that is not very likely :
You could say you were ill but I don't think they'd buy it (= accept the explanation) .
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IDIOMS
- (have) bought it
- buy the farm
- buy time
—more at best noun , pig noun , pup
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- buy sth in
- buy into sth
- buy sb off
- buy sb out
- buy sth up
■ noun
STH BOUGHT
1.
a good, better, etc. ~ a thing that is worth the money that you pay for it :
That jacket was a really good buy.
Best buys this week are carrots and cabbages.
2.
something that is bought or that is for sale; the act of buying sth :
Computer games are a popular buy this Christmas.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English bycgan , of Germanic origin.