buy

I'm going to buy my father something nice for his birthday.

Buy what thou hast no need of, and ere long thou wilt sell thy necessaries.

(transitive, ditransitive) To obtain (something) in exchange for money or goods.

I've bought material comfort by foregoing my dreams.

You just bought yourself an assault charge!

Buy the truth and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 23:23:

(transitive, ditransitive) To obtain, especially by some sacrifice.

VVhat villaine, doſt ſtrike me? I ſweare by the rood,
As I am Iacke Strawe, thou ſhalt buy it with thy blood.

1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act I:

(transitive, archaic) To suffer consequences for (something) through being deprived of something; to pay for (something one has done).

He tried to buy me with gifts, but I wouldn't give up my beliefs.

The dollar doesn't buy as much as it used to.

(transitive) To be equivalent to in value.

I'm not going to buy your stupid excuses anymore!

People like to say that dead people look asleep, and maybe she would have bought that under different circumstances.

2020, Akwaeke Emezi, The Death of Vivek Oji, Faber & Faber Ltd, page 201:

(transitive, informal) to accept as true; to believe

She buys for Federated.

Let's go out for dinner. I'm buying.

(intransitive) To make a purchase or purchases, to treat (for a drink, meal or gift)

Smith tried to buy the pot on the river with a huge bluff.

(poker slang, transitive) To make a bluff, usually a large one.

en-verb

buy (third-person singular simple present buys, present participle buying, simple past bought, past participle bought or (archaic, rare, dialectal) boughten)

buys (present singular third-person)
buying (participle present)
bought (past)
bought (participle past)
boughten (archaic dialectal participle past rare)
buy (infinitive)
buie (alternative)

cheap

antonym(s) of “obtain in exchange for money”

that and a nickel will buy you a cup of coffee

why buy a book when you can join a library

why buy a book when you can join the library

why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free

Sranan Tongo: bai

Tok Pisin: baim

From Middle English byen, from Old English bycġan (“to buy, pay for, acquire, redeem, ransom, procure, get done, sell”), from Proto-West Germanic *buggjan, from Proto-Germanic *bugjaną (“to buy”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *bʰūgʰ- (“to bend”), or from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewgʰ- (“to take away, deliver”).
Cognate with Scots buy (“to buy, purchase”), obsolete Dutch beugen (“to buy”), Old Saxon buggian, buggean (“to buy”), Old Norse byggja (“to build, settle”), Gothic 𐌱𐌿𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bugjan, “to buy”). The spelling with “u” is from the Southwest, while the pronunciation with /aɪ/ is from the East Midlands.


buy

At only $30, the second-hand kitchen table was a great buy.