PAYING Synonyms: 134 Similar and Opposite Words

paying 1 of 3

adjective

as in profitable

yielding a profit finally found a paying job

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

paying

2 of 3

noun

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

paying

3 of 3

verb

present participle of pay

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

stiffing

as in meeting

to give what is owed for you ought to pay that bill before it's overdue

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

repudiating

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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as in giving

to produce as revenue an investment paying six percent

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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

Adjective

Biancardi said under the Indiana state code, the council can appoint one of its members in a non-paying, ex officio capacity to oversee the clerk-treasurer’s office. — Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026 The feature arrives weeks after Google started reducing the default storage for non-paying accounts from 15GB to just 5GB in some regions. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 3 June 2026 All roles are open and non-paying. — Staff Report, Baltimore Sun, 29 Apr. 2026 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 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

In April, the SPLC was charged as an organization with bank fraud and money laundering offenses related to its paying of informants to infiltrate hate groups. — Alexander Mallin, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026 The affordability crisis extends to healthcare, housing, and access to good paying jobs. — Elijah Manley, Sun Sentinel, 9 July 2026 The survey shows who will be doing more of the paying. — Lars Daniel, Forbes.com, 14 May 2026 And many of the jobs that were created are part-time or low paying. — Justin Mayo, New York Times, 12 May 2026 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

Powered by a digitally savvy younger consumer base, Saudi Arabia’s beauty market is changing rapidly — and retailers and brands alike are paying close attention. — Kathryn Hopkins, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026 Denver is also paying paralegals at the law firm $375 an hour. — Brian Maass, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026 Winning can help a school’s underlying assets, but the Big Ten and SEC are paying for decades worth of eyeballs, geography and institutional alignment — not one good run. — Manny Navarro, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Artificial intelligence bots posing as immigration lawyers are increasingly prevalent on social media, where their goal is to trick immigrants and their families into paying out thousands of dollars. — Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2026 There was Watts’ skirting around paying McCollough any salary for her work for him. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026 During those periods, revenue slid as tax-paying workers lost jobs, and assistance payments jumped. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 20 Aug. 2026 That was a crash course in really paying attention in a scene. — Tribune News Service, Hartford Courant, 20 Aug. 2026 Our farmers were paying tremendous tariffs into Canada, and those tariffs are going to be totally eviscerated. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for paying

Adjective

Airlines, supported by resilient travel demand and the shutdown of budget carrier Spirit in May, have hiked airfare and baggage fees and cut less profitable flights.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
That is not to say most of the Premier League’s big hitters are profitable.

— Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of profitable

Noun

Supporting the easiest payment method on a phone ought to be second nature to mobile-app developers, but too many continue to make this mistake.

— Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 15 Aug. 2026
BofA also expects some retailers will work with brands to recoup some tariff money, either via direct payments or future purchase order negotiations.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of payment

Verb

Hurzeler has good options in the middle too, with new signings Luka Vuskovic, Pascal Struijk and Michael Svoboda compensating for Jan Paul van Hecke’s exit to Tottenham.

— Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Iran set out new demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz that include compensating Iran for war damage.

— Duarte Dias, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of compensating

Verb

Both teams then got along just fine after practice with several players from each team spending time together.

— Jon Machota, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
That said, the Inn itself is so cocooning that many guests end up spending far more time on the property than originally planned.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of spending

Verb

For shopper Kori Farmer, The Grocery Spot helps stretch her budget while giving her access to fresh food close to home.

— Jamal Goss, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
The crisis is giving new urgency to an energy problem that Bangladesh’s garment manufacturers were already confronting.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of giving

Verb

Last summer, organizers began employing the concept for violence prevention and intervention, as community members and stakeholders continually seek new ways to combat pervasive gun violence.

— Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
One of its key functions has been for healing, often employing a complex knowledge of medicinal plants and in many cases providing the only medical services available within African American communities.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of employing

Adjective

The couple later signed lucrative contracts with Netflix and Spotify.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026
After all, the billionaire founder lived a whirlwind of a career, turning down lucrative job offers and weathering professional rejection before ultimately launching one of the world’s biggest biotech companies.

— Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of lucrative

Browse Nearby Words

pay (for)

paying

paying back

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“Paying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/paying. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of paying

adjective

noun

verb

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