buy
gb/bˈaɪ/ us/bˈaɪ/
A1
Inglés
~ 400
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Verbo
A1
action
1
Pay money to get something
To get something by giving money for it.
Patrón de uso:
to buy [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse 'buy' with 'borrow' or 'rent', which do not mean owning the item permanently.
Sinónimos
purchase (More formal and less common in everyday conversation.)
Antónimos
sell (Means to give something to someone in exchange for money, the opposite direction of the transaction.)
Colocaciones
buy a house
|buy a car
|buy groceries
|buy tickets
|buy clothes
Temas
business
|daily life
|shopping
|daily_life
|finance
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- I need to buy some bread on my way home.
- She bought a new laptop yesterday.
- We decided to buy our first home this year.
- They bought tickets for the concert online.
- He bought a gift for his sister's birthday.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I want to buy a book.
- She will buy a pen.
- We buy food every week.
- He buys milk in the morning.
- They buy a car.
Verbo
B1
action
2
Believe something is true
To believe that something is true or correct.
Patrón de uso:
to buy [a story/explanation/idea]
Error frecuente:
Learners may interpret 'buy' literally here, not recognizing it as a figurative expression meaning 'believe'. Context usually clarifies this.
Sinónimos
believe (General term for accepting something as true; 'buy' is more informal and sometimes skeptical.)
Antónimos
doubt (Refusing to accept something as true.)
Colocaciones
buy the story
|buy the excuse
|buy into an idea
Temas
communication
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- I don't buy his excuse for being late.
- She bought the story without asking any questions.
- They didn't buy the idea that it was an accident.
- The jury didn’t buy the defense’s argument.
- He buys into every conspiracy theory he hears.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I don't buy his story.
- Do you buy what she said?
- He buys the idea easily.
- They don't buy this plan.
- I buy your reason.
Verbo
B2
action
3
Get advantage by paying or conceding
To get more time, help, or another benefit by giving money or something else of value.
Patrón de uso:
to buy [time/freedom/help]
Error frecuente:
Learners may confuse this with buying physical objects; here, it refers to abstract benefits.
Sinónimos
secure (More formal; can mean to make certain of obtaining something, often through effort or payment.)
Antónimos
lose (Fail to keep or obtain an advantage or opportunity.)
Colocaciones
buy time
|buy freedom
|buy support
Temas
business
|negotiation
|finance
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The lawyer tried to buy more time for his client.
- She bought her freedom by agreeing to testify.
- They bought political support through generous donations.
- He bought peace by apologizing sincerely.
- The company bought influence in the region.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I need to buy time to finish my work.
- She bought help from a friend.
- They bought peace in the family.
- He bought support from his team.
- We bought time with a delay.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
buy
AFI
GB/bˈaɪ/
US/bˈaɪ/
Sílabas y acento
buy (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (buy)
Formas de la palabra
Verb
- Base: buy
- 3rd Person Singular: buys
- Present Participle: buying
- Past: bought
- Past Participle: bought
Familia de palabras
Forms
buys
verb
buying
verb
bought
verb
Core family
buyer
noun A2
Related words
purchase
verb A2
Advanced or less common
buyable
adjective
Aspectos destacados
- Irregular past: bought Verb
- Irregular past participle: bought Verb
Expresiones
buy into
1/bˈaɪ ˈɪntu/
phrasal verb
Accept an idea or plan
To agree with or accept an idea, plan, or way of doing something.
Ejemplos
- Not everyone buys into the new policy.
- He quickly bought into the team's vision for the project.
buy time
1/bˈaɪ tˈaɪm/
fixed phrase
Delay something to get more time
To do something so you have more time before you must do something else.
Ejemplos
- She asked a lot of questions to buy time before answering.
- The negotiators tried to buy time until reinforcements arrived.
buy up
1/bˈaɪ ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
Purchase all of something available
To purchase all of something that is available.
Ejemplos
- Investors are buying up property in the area.
- They bought up all the tickets for the show.
for sale, not for sale (can't be bought) / 'money can't buy happiness' context — skip? human review needed? We'll add 'buy off' instead)
1/fɚ sˈeɪl | nˈɑt fɚ sˈeɪl kˈænt bˈi bˈɔt mˈʌni kˈænt bˈaɪ hˈæpinəs kˈɑntɛkst skˈɪp ‖ hjˈumən ɹɪvjˈu nˈidɪd ‖ wˈil ˈæd bˈaɪ ˈɔf ɪnstˈɛd/
fixed phrase
for sale, not for sale (can't be bought) / 'money can't buy happiness' context — skip? human review needed? We'll add 'buy off' instead)
for sale, not for sale (can't be bought) / 'money can't buy happiness' context — skip? human review needed? We'll add 'buy off' instead)