FromMiddle Englishbyen, fromOld Englishbycġan(“to buy, pay for, acquire, redeem, ransom, procure, get done, sell”), fromProto-West Germanic*buggjan, fromProto-Germanic*bugjaną(“to buy”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps fromProto-Indo-European*bʰūgʰ-(“to bend”), or fromProto-Indo-European*bʰewgʰ-(“to take away, deliver”).

Cognate withScotsbuy(“to buy, purchase”), obsoleteDutchbeugen(“to buy”),Old Saxonbuggian,buggean(“to buy”),Old Norsebyggja(“to build, settle”),Gothic𐌱𐌿𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽(bugjan,“to buy”). The spelling with “u” is from the Southwest, while the pronunciation with /aɪ/ is from the East Midlands.

• enPR:bī,IPA^(key):/baɪ/
  • (US,Received Pronunciation)IPA^(key):[baɪ]
  • (Standard Southern British)IPA^(key):[bɑj]
  • (Canada)IPA^(key):[baɪ]
    • (dialectal)IPA^(key):[bəj]
  • (General Australian)IPA^(key):[bɑɪ]

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Audio(UK);“to buy”:

  (file)

• Rhymes:-aɪ
• Homophones:bi,bye,by

buy (third-person singular simple presentbuys,present participlebuying,simple pastbought,past participleboughtor(archaic, rare, dialectal)boughten)

1. (transitive,ditransitive) Toobtain (something) inexchange for money or goods.

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

   • 1793,Benjamin Franklin,Autobiography:

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

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

   I'vebought material comfort by foregoing my dreams.

   You justbought yourself an assault charge!

   • 1611,The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London:[…]Robert Barker, […],→OCLC,Proverbs23:23:

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

3. (transitive,archaic) Tosufferconsequences for (something) through beingdeprived of something; topay for (something one has done).
   • 1593, anonymous author,The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […],Act I:

     VVhat villaine, doſt ſtrike me? I ſweare by the rood,
     As I amIacke Strawe, thou ſhaltbuy it with thy blood.

4. (transitive) Tobribe.

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

5. (transitive) To be equivalent to in value.

   The dollar doesn'tbuy as much as it used to.

6. (transitive,informal) toaccept as true; tobelieve

   I'm not going tobuy your stupid excuses anymore!

   • 2020,Akwaeke Emezi,The Death of Vivek Oji, Faber & Faber Ltd, page201:

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

7. (intransitive) To make a purchase or purchases, totreat (for a drink, meal or gift)

   Shebuys for Federated.

   Let's go out for dinner. I'mbuying.

8. (pokerslang,transitive) To make abluff, usually a large one.

   Smith tried tobuy the pot on the river with a huge bluff.

• buie(archaic)

• (obtain in exchange for money):cheap(obsolete),purchase
• (accept as true):accept,believe,swallow(informal),take on
• ((intransitive) make a purchase):make a buy

• (antonym(s) of“obtain in exchange for money”):cheap(obsolete),sell,vend
• (antonym(s) of“accept as true”):disbelieve,reject,pitch

• aby

• Sranan Tongo:bai
• Tok Pisin:baim

buy (pluralbuys)

2. Something which is bought; apurchase.

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

• sale

• buy boat
• buydown
• buyout
• buyrate
• impulse buy

• William Dwight Whitney,Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “buy”, inThe Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.:The Century Co.,→OCLC.
• “buy”, inWebster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.:G. & C. Merriam,1913,→OCLC.

• BYU

FromEnglishbuy.

buy

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) toaccept (anidea)
   • 2001,尋秦記 [A Step into the Past], episode 1, spoken by麥偉健 (麥長青 [Evergreen Mak Cheung-ching]):

     收聲呀，我唔buy你呀。[Hong Kong Cantonese,trad.]
     收声呀，我唔buy你呀。[Hong Kong Cantonese,simp.]

     sau¹ seng¹ aa³, ngo⁵ m⁴baai¹ nei⁵ aa³.[Jyutping]

     Shut up. I'm not buying your [suggestion].

• beh(Dundee)

FromOld Englishbycgan

• IPA^(key):(unstressed)[bəi],(stressed)[baɪ]

buy (third-person singular simple presentbuys,present participlebuyin,simple pastbocht,past participlebocht)

1. buy

buy

1. length

Related toguy(“baobab tree”).

buy (definite formbuybi)

1. baobabfruit
2. sweetdrink made of this fruit by adding water, sugar, milk, and other ingredients