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buy

buyverb

American /baɪ/ British /baɪ/

third-person singular buys past tense bought past participle bought present participle buying

very commondefining vocabulary

with moneyget something by paying money for it
transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj] verb + two objects [V + obj + obj]
- She bought a new car last month. V + obj
- He bought his sister a birthday gift. V + obj + obj
- We bought the tickets online. V + obj
- Can you buy some milk on your way home? V + obj
Collocations
verb + noun buy a house, buy a ticket, buy groceries
adverb + verb buy online, buy secondhand
Synonyms purchase (purchase is more formal, used mainly in business and official writing)
Antonyms sell
believebelieve that something is true, especially when it seems unlikely
transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj] verb + that-clause [V + that] informal
- I don't buy his excuse. V + obj
- Nobody bought her story about the missing keys. V + obj
- I'm not sure I buy that the plan will actually work. V + that
Collocations
verb + noun buy an excuse, buy a story
Synonyms believe

Phrases

buy time

do something to delay an event so that you have more time to get ready or decide

The company issued a statement just to buy time.
She asked another question to buy time before answering.

Word family

buyer

Common mistakes

He buyed a new phone. He bought a new phone.
The past tense is irregular: bought, not buyed.

See also buy off (pay someone secretly to stop them from causing trouble)

For translators

Grammar trap Irregular: buy, bought, bought.