Paid

peɪd

verbBeginnerVery CommonLegal

Definitions

2 meanings
1

To give money to someone for goods or services received or to meet a debt or obligation.

peɪd

verbneutralBeginner
Legal

Past tense and past participle of the verb 'pay'.

I paid the cashier for my groceries.

💡 Simply: Imagine you gave your friend your allowance to buy a toy. That's like paying! You exchanged money for something.

👶 For kids: When you give someone money for something, like when you buy a candy bar!

More Examples

2

He paid the rent on time.

3

She paid a high price for her mistake.

How It's Used

Business

"The company paid its employees on Friday."

Personal Finance

"I paid the bills yesterday."

2

Having been compensated or settled.

peɪd

adjectiveneutralmedium
General

Having received payment; settled or discharged.

The invoice was marked as paid.

💡 Simply: Like when you get a star on your sticker chart because you did all your chores. You are "paid" with a reward!

👶 For kids: When you get something that you wanted, like when you get paid for doing a good job!

More Examples

2

His debt was finally paid.

3

She felt relieved to be paid.

How It's Used

Legal

"The contract stated that all invoices were paid."

Accounting

"The balance sheet showed all debts were paid."

Tip:Think of a bill that is marked 'paid'.

Idioms & expressions

paid off

To yield a successful result or outcome; to be worthwhile.

"All the hard work finally paid off, and she got the promotion."

pay lip service

To express agreement or support without actually taking any action to back it up.

"The company paid lip service to environmental concerns but didn't change its practices."

From Middle English paied, past participle of payen, from Old French paier (“to pay”), from Vulgar Latin *pacāre (“to appease, pacify, pay”), from Latin pācāre (“to pacify, appease”), from pāx (“peace”).

Historically used in legal and financial contexts to indicate the settlement of an obligation.

Memory tip

Think of the action of paying a bill or rewarding someone.

payed

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written