bought
ˈbȯt 
; buying
; buying
1
: to acquire possession, ownership, or rights to the use or services of by payment especially of money : purchase
buy a car
buying stock in the company
bought us dinner
2
a
: to obtain in exchange for something often at a sacrifice
They bought peace with their freedom.
b
Christianity
: redeem sense 6
bought us with his blood
4
: to be the purchasing equivalent of
The dollar buys less today than it used to.
: to make a purchase
Now is a good time to buy.
1
: something of value at a favorable price
2
: an act of acquiring possession, ownership, or rights to the use or services of something by payment especially of money : an act of buying (see buy entry 1 sense 1) : purchase
an undercover drug buy
Examples of buy in a Sentence
Verb
I bought this hat for $10.
He bought the quilt from a local artist.
Stock prices are low, so now is a good time to buy.
He said it was a mistake, but I don't buy it.
Noun
four cartons of ice cream for four dollars is a real buy
Recent Examples on the Web
Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The concept sells niches to hold urns, similar to buying a cemetery plot for a casket.
—Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 27 Oct. 2025
Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Nearly 3,000 miles away in the Chinatown district of Los Angeles, buy-and-sell resale shop Syndicate touts the shoe as one of ’25’s most in-demand items.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for buy
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Verb
Doss added that with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, customers are buying items in advance.
—Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 27 Oct. 2025
The concept sells niches to hold urns, similar to buying a cemetery plot for a casket.
—Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
Purushotham argued that build versus buy is often not an either/or, though his team stays apprised of what Citi’s 30,000 software developers are working on.
—Leo Schwartz, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2025
Nearly 3,000 miles away in the Chinatown district of Los Angeles, buy-and-sell resale shop Syndicate touts the shoe as one of ’25’s most in-demand items.
—Riley Jones, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for buy
Cite this Entry
“Buy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buy. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
buy
1 of 2 verb
bought
ˈbȯt
; buying
; buying
1
: to get by paying money for : purchase
2
: to gain control over by bribery
buy votes
3
: believe sense 3
I don't buy that nonsense
buy
2 of 2 nounLove words? Need even more definitions?
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