as in profitable
yielding a profit finally found a paying job
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as in payment
the act of offering money in exchange for goods or services the actual shopping was quick, but with the long lines, paying for the stuff seemed to take forever
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1
as in compensating
to give (someone) the sum of money owed for goods or services received we need to pay the cashier and then we can leave
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2
as in meeting
to give what is owed for you ought to pay that bill before it's overdue
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3
as in spending
to hand over or use up in payment rock fans were willing to pay enormous sums to get into the concert
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4
as in giving
to produce as revenue an investment paying six percent
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5
as in employing
to provide with a paying job pay someone to mow the lawn for the summer
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of paying
Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026 All roles are open and non-paying. —Staff Report, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2026 Customers will still be able to preload $35 for unlimited seven-day travel onto an OMNY card — riding free after paying for 12 trips in any seven-day period — though pre-paying is not required for the unlimited rides. —Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026 Under Niccol, Starbucks has brought back its tradition of baristas doodling on cups in Sharpie pens; reinstated self-serve milk and sugar stations; cut 30% of the food and drink menu; ended its open-bathroom policy for non-paying customers; and laid off 1,100 corporate employees in February. —Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025 So, while a paying customer willing to spend $100 on a coin bundle will typically receive around 100 Sweeps Coins as a bonus, the non-paying customer who mails in a postcard is capped at 5 Sweeps Coins – a nominal amount. —Daniel Wallach, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Mar. 2026 The inevitable capitalistic evolution of the House settlement that allowed for the paying of athletes guaranteed there would be winners and losers, and the winners are – no surprise – the signal-callers. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026 Balanced growth, roads and other infrastructure, continuing a positive approach to economic development, attracting industry and high paying jobs. —Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2025 Notably, Ditto is the best paying of the three, but doesn’t accept freelancers from California, Massachusetts and New Jersey. —Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026 Wrestlers operated as independent contractors, and this allowed the McMahons to avoid paying benefits. —Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026 But for this season, Lou said American shoppers will likely be stuck paying at least 15% more. —Eunice Yoon, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026 Think about caring for an ill mate, losing income because of having to give up your job, having difficulty paying your bills and suffering from painful arthritis while serving as the unpaid caregiver. —Helen Dennis, Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026 New York has taken a different approach, and ordinary New Yorkers are paying the price every month through their utility bills. —Nicole Malliotakis, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026 The company representative said all that's necessary to start hauling for them is federal authorization, which requires proof of minimal insurance and paying a $300 fee online. —Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026 With airfares and fees on the rise, consumers still can make choices that determine how much of their travel budgets will get taken up by paying to get to and from their destinations. —ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, which quietly became the longest-running Black sitcom in television history while most of the critical establishment wasn’t paying attention. —Geoff Bennett, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The idea is to remove non-paying riders, often who are homeless, mentally ill or taking illicit drugs, from the system. —Steve Scauzillo, Daily News, 15 Jan. 2026 All roles are open and non-paying. —Staff Report, Baltimore Sun, 14 Jan. 2026 Customers will still be able to preload $35 for unlimited seven-day travel onto an OMNY card — riding free after paying for 12 trips in any seven-day period — though pre-paying is not required for the unlimited rides. —Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 3 Jan. 2026 Under Niccol, Starbucks has brought back its tradition of baristas doodling on cups in Sharpie pens; reinstated self-serve milk and sugar stations; cut 30% of the food and drink menu; ended its open-bathroom policy for non-paying customers; and laid off 1,100 corporate employees in February. —Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025 So, while a paying customer willing to spend $100 on a coin bundle will typically receive around 100 Sweeps Coins as a bonus, the non-paying customer who mails in a postcard is capped at 5 Sweeps Coins – a nominal amount. —Daniel Wallach, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
Is your job one of the highest paying in Kentucky? —Olivia Evans, Louisville Courier Journal, 17 Mar. 2026 The inevitable capitalistic evolution of the House settlement that allowed for the paying of athletes guaranteed there would be winners and losers, and the winners are – no surprise – the signal-callers. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Jan. 2026 Balanced growth, roads and other infrastructure, continuing a positive approach to economic development, attracting industry and high paying jobs. —Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 15 Oct. 2025 Notably, Ditto is the best paying of the three, but doesn’t accept freelancers from California, Massachusetts and New Jersey. —Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
Alan’s brother, Merrill Osmond, 72, was among those paying tribute. —Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026 Wrestlers operated as independent contractors, and this allowed the McMahons to avoid paying benefits. —Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026 But for this season, Lou said American shoppers will likely be stuck paying at least 15% more. —Eunice Yoon, CNBC, 20 Apr. 2026 Think about caring for an ill mate, losing income because of having to give up your job, having difficulty paying your bills and suffering from painful arthritis while serving as the unpaid caregiver. —Helen Dennis, Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026 New York has taken a different approach, and ordinary New Yorkers are paying the price every month through their utility bills. —Nicole Malliotakis, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026 The company representative said all that's necessary to start hauling for them is federal authorization, which requires proof of minimal insurance and paying a $300 fee online. —Michael Kaplan, CBS News, 19 Apr. 2026 With airfares and fees on the rise, consumers still can make choices that determine how much of their travel budgets will get taken up by paying to get to and from their destinations. —ABC News, 18 Apr. 2026 Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, which quietly became the longest-running Black sitcom in television history while most of the critical establishment wasn’t paying attention. —Geoff Bennett, The Atlantic, 13 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for paying
Adjective
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Convenience store gas sales are not as profitable as bringing people inside from the pumps.— Mead Gruver, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2026
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In 1949, Arthur Miller envisioned the American Dream as a kind of spiritual opioid crisis — a profitable system of addiction, this one to a beautiful lie, that was literally killing people.— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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In addition, records show that Smedley received an advance payment of $2,625 in 2018 of his stipend as a city council member that is normally paid quarterly.— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
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The plan would allow the charter NFL franchise to make special payments to taxing bodies in the northwest suburbs — known as Payment in Lieu of Taxes, or PILOT — rather than paying regular property taxes.— Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The calls were loudest for burying power lines, improving utility equipment to withstand storms and compensating businesses and individuals for losses due to outages.— Judith Kohler, Denver Post, 10 Apr. 2026
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To hear health systems tell the story, artificial intelligence tools like ambient scribes are helping not only reduce doctor burnout, but also increasing payments from insurers that haven’t been compensating them properly.— Brittany Trang, STAT, 8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Upon arriving, Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, spent time at Bondi Beach, meeting volunteer first responders from the Bondi Surf Bathers' Life Saving Club in Sydney.— Helen Murphy, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
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Lula and Sánchez, along with ministers from their cabinets, are meeting at a former royal palace in Barcelona on Friday when they are expected to sign agreements regarding their economies, technology and social policies.— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Guro Reiten is sitting inside her apartment in Norway, in between spending time with her 5-month-old son and packing her life away.— Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
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After a backlash, Kennedy has also pivoted to spending more time talking about less controversial topics like healthy eating — albeit with his own spin, including sharing exaggerated claims that various ailments can be cured by diet alone.— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 2022, researchers concluded that Neanderthals and humans lived alongside each other in France and Spain for up to 2,900 years, giving them plenty of time to potentially learn from or even breed with each other.— CBS News, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
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As was the case with the white-and-green dress for her Pakistan tour, Elizabeth, in her fashion choices, sought not only to avoid giving offense but to offer symbolic ingratiation, and among the most fascinating garments on display are those representing diplomatic dressing.— Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The upside is there’s a huge potential for employing people to check code.— Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
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What’s more, all of them operate or are members of outside media ventures, meaning that MS NOW, NBC News, CBS News and others are hitching their corporate fortunes to people whose top priority may be the health of their own endeavors and not always those of the company employing them.— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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When combined with the store’s credit card, deals can be even more lucrative.— Liz Knueven,Ryley Amond, CNBC, 11 Apr. 2026
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Peterson, however, says this would worsen the area’s housing challenges by taking away units from the long-term rentals market, as landlords may find shorter deals more lucrative.— Adam Crafton, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Paying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/thesaurus/paying. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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