buy
gb/bˈaɪ/ us/bˈaɪ/
A1
Anglais
~ 400
Sens
0 sens
Verbe
A1
action
1
Pay money to get something
To get something by giving money for it.
Schéma d’usage :
to buy [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'buy' with 'borrow' or 'rent', which do not mean owning the item permanently.
Synonymes
purchase (More formal and less common in everyday conversation.)
Antonymes
sell (Means to give something to someone in exchange for money, the opposite direction of the transaction.)
Collocations
buy a house
|buy a car
|buy groceries
|buy tickets
|buy clothes
Thèmes
business
|daily life
|shopping
|daily_life
|finance
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- 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.
Verbe
B1
action
2
Believe something is true
To believe that something is true or correct.
Schéma d’usage :
to buy [a story/explanation/idea]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may interpret 'buy' literally here, not recognizing it as a figurative expression meaning 'believe'. Context usually clarifies this.
Synonymes
believe (General term for accepting something as true; 'buy' is more informal and sometimes skeptical.)
Antonymes
doubt (Refusing to accept something as true.)
Collocations
buy the story
|buy the excuse
|buy into an idea
Thèmes
communication
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- 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.
Verbe
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.
Schéma d’usage :
to buy [time/freedom/help]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse this with buying physical objects; here, it refers to abstract benefits.
Synonymes
secure (More formal; can mean to make certain of obtaining something, often through effort or payment.)
Antonymes
lose (Fail to keep or obtain an advantage or opportunity.)
Collocations
buy time
|buy freedom
|buy support
Thèmes
business
|negotiation
|finance
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- 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.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
buy
API
GB/bˈaɪ/
US/bˈaɪ/
Syllabes et accentuation
buy (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (buy)
Formes du mot
Verb
- Base: buy
- 3rd Person Singular: buys
- Present Participle: buying
- Past: bought
- Past Participle: bought
Famille de mots
Forms
buys
verb
buying
verb
bought
verb
Core family
buyer
noun A2
Related words
purchase
verb A2
Advanced or less common
buyable
adjective
Points clés
- Irregular past: bought Verb
- Irregular past participle: bought Verb
Expressions
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.
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples
- 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)