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v. bought (bôt), buy·ing, buys v.tr. 1. To acquire in exchange for money or its equivalent; purchase. See Note at boughten. 2. To be capable of purchasing: "Certainly there are lots of things in life that money won't buy" (Ogden Nash). 3. To acquire by sacrifice, exchange, or trade: wanted to buy love with gifts. 4. To bribe: tried to buy a judge. 5. Informal To accept the truth or feasibility of: The officer didn't buy my lame excuse for speeding. v.intr. To purchase something; act as a purchaser. n. Phrasal Verbs: 1. Something bought or for sale; a purchase. 2. An act of purchasing: a drug buy. 3. Something that is underpriced; a bargain. buy down To pay an upfront fee to reduce (an interest rate) over part or all of the term of a loan. buy into 1. To acquire a stake or interest in: bought into a risky real estate venture. 2. Informal To believe in, especially wholeheartedly or uncritically: couldn't buy into that brand of conservatism. buy off To bribe (an official, for example) in order to secure improper cooperation or gain exemption from a regulation or legal consequence. buy out To purchase the entire stock, business rights, or interests of. buy up Idioms: To purchase all that is available of. buy it Slang To be killed. buy the farm Slang To die, especially suddenly or violently. buy time To increase the time available for a specific purpose: "A moderate recovery thus buys time for Congress and the Administration to whittle the deficit" (G. David Wallace). [Middle English bien, beyen, from Old English bycgan, byg-; akin to Gothic bugjan, from Germanic *bugjanan, of unknown origin.] buya·ble adj. |
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