buy

[bahy] /baɪ/
verb (used with object), bought, buying.
1.
to acquire the possession of, or the right to, by paying or promising to pay an equivalent, especially in money; purchase.
2.
to acquire by exchange or concession:
to buy favor with flattery.
3.
to hire or obtain the services of:
The Yankees bought a new center fielder.
4.
to bribe:
Most public officials cannot be bought.
5.
to be the monetary or purchasing equivalent of:
Ten dollars buys less than it used to.
6.
Chiefly Theology. to redeem; ransom.
7.
Cards. to draw or be dealt (a card):
He bought an ace.
8.
Informal.
  1. to accept or believe:
    I don't buy that explanation.
  2. to be deceived by:
    He bought the whole story.
verb (used without object), bought, buying.
9.
to be or become a purchaser.
noun
10.
an act or instance of buying.
11.
something bought or to be bought; purchase:
That coat was a sensible buy.
12.
a bargain:
The couch was a real buy.
Verb phrases
13.
buy down, to lower or reduce (the mortgage interest rate) by means of a buy-down.
14.
buy in,
  1. to buy a supply of; accumulate a stock of.
  2. to buy back one's own possession at an auction.
  3. to undertake a buy-in.
Also, buy into.
15.
buy into, to purchase a share, interest, or membership in:
They tried to buy into the club but were not accepted.
16.
buy off, to get rid of (a claim, opposition, etc.) by payment; purchase the noninterference of; bribe:
The corrupt official bought off those who might expose him.
17.
buy out, to secure all of (an owner or partner's) share or interest in an enterprise:
She bought out an established pharmacist and is doing very well.
18.
buy up, to buy as much as one can of something or as much as is offered for sale:
He bought up the last of the strawberries at the fruit market.
Idioms
19.
buy it, Slang. to get killed:
He bought it at Dunkirk.
Origin
before 1000; Middle English byen, variant of byggen, buggen, Old English bycgan; cognate with Old Saxon buggjan, Gothic bugjan to buy, Old Norse byggja to lend, rent
Related forms
buyable, adjective
nonbuying, adjective, noun
prebuy, verb (used with object), prebought, prebuying.
rebuy, verb, rebought, rebuying.
unbuyable, adjective
unbuying, adjective
Can be confused
buy, by, bye (see synonym study at the current entry)
Synonyms
1. Buy, purchase imply obtaining or acquiring property or goods for a price. Buy is the common and informal word, applying to any such transaction: to buy a house, vegetables at the market. Purchase is more formal and may connote buying on a larger scale, in a finer store, and the like: to purchase a year's supplies.
Antonyms
1. sell.
British Dictionary definitions for buy off

buy off

verb
1.
(transitive, adverb) to pay (a person or group) to drop a charge, end opposition, relinquish a claim, etc

buy

/baɪ/
verb (mainly transitive) buys, buying, bought
1.
to acquire by paying or promising to pay a sum of money or the equivalent; purchase
2.
to be capable of purchasing: money can't buy love
3.
to acquire by any exchange or sacrifice: to buy time by equivocation
4.
(intransitive) to act as a buyer
5.
to bribe or corrupt; hire by or as by bribery
6.
(slang) to accept as true, practical, etc
7.
(intransitive) foll by into. to purchase shares of (a company): we bought into General Motors
8.
(transitive) (theol) (esp of Christ) to ransom or redeem (a Christian or the soul of a Christian)
9.
(slang) have bought it, to be killed
noun
10.
a purchase (often in the phrases good or bad buy)
See also buy in, buy into, buy off, buy out, buy up
Usage note
The use of off after buy as in I bought this off my neighbour was formerly considered incorrect, but is now acceptable in informal contexts
Word Origin
Old English bycgan; related to Old Norse byggja to let out, lend, Gothic bugjan to buy
Word Origin and History for buy off

buy

v.

Old English bycgan (past tense bohte) "to buy, pay for, acquire; redeem, ransom; procure; get done," from Proto-Germanic *bugjanan (cf. Old Saxon buggjan, Old Norse byggja, Gothic bugjan), of unknown origin, not found outside Germanic.

The surviving spelling is southwest England dialect; the word was generally pronounced in Old English and Middle English with a -dg- sound as "budge," or "bidge." Meaning "believe, accept as true" first recorded 1926. Related: Bought; buying. To buy time "prevent further deterioration but make no improvement" is attested from 1946.

n.

"a purchase," especially a worthwhile one, 1879, American English, from buy (v.).

Slang definitions & phrases for buy off

buy

verb
  1. To believe; accept as true: These guys bought the myth and now it's costing them dearly/ I buy it. What you told me is between us
  2. To agree to; acquiesce in: If that's the plan, I'll buy it (1920s+)
  3. To do; effectuate: She pointed her gun at me. I said, ''What are you trying to buy with that?'' (1940s+)
  4. To hire; engage: He bought him a lawyer and filed suit (1650s+)
  5. (also buy off) To induce by money; bribe: He tried to buy a couple of jury members (1650s+)

Idioms and Phrases with buy off

buy off

Pay to get rid of a claim or opposition, or to avoid prosecution, as in He was caught trying to buy off the opposing candidate. [ First half of 1600s ]