"pay one's way" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pays one's way",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "paying one's way",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "paid one's way",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "paid one's way",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pays one's way",
        "2": "paying one's way",
        "3": "paid one's way"
      },
      "expansion": "pay one's way (third-person singular simple present pays one's way, present participle paying one's way, simple past and past participle paid one's way)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1962 December, “Dr. Beeching previews the plan for British Railways”, in Modern Railways, page 376",
          "text": "Only a year ago it would have needed a \"super-Micawber\" to be optimistic that the railways would once again pay their way. But it was no longer a pipe dream that B.R. could make a profit, the way to do it was now clear.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of an individual or business, to earn enough to cover one's expenses."
      ],
      "id": "en-pay_one's_way-en-verb-JtZbQVu8"
    }
  ],
  "word": "pay one's way"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "pays one's way",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "paying one's way",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "paid one's way",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "paid one's way",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "pays one's way",
        "2": "paying one's way",
        "3": "paid one's way"
      },
      "expansion": "pay one's way (third-person singular simple present pays one's way, present participle paying one's way, simple past and past participle paid one's way)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1962 December, “Dr. Beeching previews the plan for British Railways”, in Modern Railways, page 376",
          "text": "Only a year ago it would have needed a \"super-Micawber\" to be optimistic that the railways would once again pay their way. But it was no longer a pipe dream that B.R. could make a profit, the way to do it was now clear.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Of an individual or business, to earn enough to cover one's expenses."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "pay one's way"
}