INDEX:
1. to pay for something
2. to pay for someone else’s food, drink, ticket etc
3. to have enough money to pay for something
4. to pay someone to do something
5. to pay someone to do something dishonest or illegal
6. to pay back money that you owe someone
7. to pay for something before you receive it
8. to buy something and pay for it later
9. to pay money to someone because they have suffered an injury, loss, damage etc
10. to provide money for someone else to live on
11. to provide money to help someone do something
12. an amount of money that is paid
13. money that you have to pay as a punishment
14. a piece of paper that shows how much you must pay
15. to tell someone in writing how much they should pay you
16. when you are paid or not paid for doing an activity or sport
RELATED WORDS
money that someone is paid for their work : ↑ EARN
see also
↑ BUY
↑ MONEY
↑ SPEND MONEY OR TIME
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1. to pay for something
▷ pay /peɪ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to give money in exchange for goods or services :
▪ Several fans tried to get in without paying.
▪ Please pay at the desk.
▪ I need £4.50 to pay the window cleaner.
pay for
▪ Have you paid for the tickets?
pay £20/$40 etc for something
▪ She paid $5,000 for three nights in a hotel in New York City.
pay a bill/rent/tax etc
▪ Tom paid his bill at the cashier’s desk.
▪ There was no point in paying rent on an empty apartment for two months.
pay cash
pay using coins, notes etc
▪ They don’t have health insurance, so they have to pay cash for doctor’s visits.
pay by cheque/credit card etc
▪ Pay by credit card at least ten days before departure.
▷ meet the cost of /ˌmiːt ðə ˈkɒst ɒvǁ-ˈkɔːst-/ [verb phrase]
if a company or organization meets the cost of something, it pays for it for someone else, especially when they do not have a legal duty to do this :
▪ We will meet the cost of any expenses you may incur when travelling to your interview.
meet the cost of of doing something
▪ A local firm has agreed to meet the cost of sending ten lucky prize-winners on a dream holiday.
▷ foot the bill /ˌfʊt ðə ˈbɪl/ [verb phrase]
to pay for something for someone else, especially when you do not want to or do not think that you should :
▪ It will be, as usual, the taxpayer who will be footing the bill.
foot the bill for
▪ The program asks businesses to foot the bill for daily newspapers in the classroom.
▷ fork out/shell out /ˌfɔːʳk ˈaʊt, ˌʃel ˈaʊt/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb] informal
to pay a lot of money for something because you have to and not because you want to, especially for something you need :
▪ The policy affects how much we will have to shell out at the petrol station.
fork out £100/$10,000/a lot of money etc
▪ He had to fork out £500 to get his car fixed.
▪ Fans are having to shell out roughly $65 per seat for football games.
fork out £100/$20,000/a lot of money etc on somebody/something
▪ From the time you enroll them in nursery school, you’re forking out a fortune on the kids.
fork out/shell out for
▪ $13 seems like a lot of money to shell out for a bottle of wine.
▷ cough up /ˌkɒf ˈʌpǁˌkɔːf-/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb] informal
to pay money for something, especially money that you owe or that someone has persuaded you to pay :
▪ You owe me twenty pounds. Come on, cough up!
cough up £3/$100/a few pence etc
▪ You have to cough up $2 just to get into the park.
▷ stump up /ˌstʌmp ˈʌp/ [intransitive/transitive phrasal verb] British informal
to pay for something, usually when someone else thinks you should :
▪ His dad wouldn’t stump up for a new bike.
stump up £50/$200/a lot of money etc
▪ Everybody in the office stumped up a few pounds for his leaving present.
2. to pay for someone else’s food, drink, ticket etc
▷ pay /peɪ/ [intransitive verb]
to pay for someone else, for example for their meal, drink, or ticket :
▪ If I go out for a meal with my parents, they always pay.
pay for
▪ When we got to the ferry, Eddie took out a five-dollar bill and paid for Terry and me.
▪ Who paid for your driving lessons?
pay for somebody to do something
▪ My company paid for me to go to evening classes.
▷ treat /triːt/ [transitive verb]
to buy something such as a meal or theatre ticket for someone, because you like them or want to celebrate something :
▪ As it’s your birthday, I thought I’d treat you.
treat somebody to something
▪ We treated Sally to lunch at the Savoy.
treat [countable noun usually singular]
▪ Let me take you to dinner. My treat.
▷ pick up the tab /ˌpɪk ʌp ðə ˈtæb/ [verb phrase]
to pay for something, especially when it is not necessarily your responsibility or duty to do this :
▪ We all went out to dinner, and Adam picked up the tab.
pick up the tab for
▪ Usually the book publisher, not the author, picks up the tab for a publicity tour.
▷ be on me /biː ɒn ˈmiː/ [verb phrase] spoken
say the drinks are on me, this meal’s on me etc when you are telling someone you will pay for their drinks, their meal etc :
▪ Order whatever you like -- this is on me!
▪ Put your money away -- the drinks are on us.
▷ buy a round /ˌbaɪ ə ˈraʊnd/ [verb phrase]
to buy drinks for the people you are with in a bar :
▪ Joe bought a round of drinks for everyone.
▷ it’s my shout /ɪts ˈmaɪ ʃaʊt/ British spoken
say this when it is your turn to buy the drinks for the people you are with in a bar :
▪ No, it’s my shout. What are you drinking?
3. to have enough money to pay for something
▷ can afford /kən əˈfɔːʳd/ [verb phrase]
if you can afford something, you have enough money to pay for it :
▪ I’d love to visit Australia, but I just can’t afford it.
▪ I had to move because I couldn’t afford the rent any more.
can afford to do something
▪ How can you afford to eat in restaurants all the time?
▪ He’s finally earning more, so he can afford to have a holiday this year.
▷ be able to pay /biː ˌeɪb ə l tə ˈpeɪ/ [verb phrase]
to have enough money to pay for something such as a tax or a bill :
▪ They say they will have all the money on Friday, but I don’t think they’ll be able to pay.
▪ Some people just aren’t able to pay the tax.
be able to pay for
▪ Many people use credit as a way of buying goods they are not able to pay for.
4. to pay someone to do something
▷ pay /peɪ/ [transitive verb]
to pay someone for work :
▪ How much do they pay you?
pay somebody for (doing) something
▪ They still haven’t paid her for the work she did last year.
▪ Did she pay you for taking care of her kids?
be/get paid
▪ We get paid at the end of every month.
pay somebody £100/$200 etc
▪ Ziedler was ready to pay her $2000 a week.
pay somebody to do something
▪ If you pay someone to work in your house, you have to pay Social Security taxes on the wages.
pay well/badly
▪ Jobs in areas that use mathematical skills, such as computer programming, tend to pay well.
paid [adjective]
▪ Many Britons receive four or five weeks of paid holiday a year.
well/highly paid
paid a lot
▪ He has a very well-paid job in finance.
▪ a highly paid executive
badly paid
not paid much
▪ Most badly paid jobs are done by women.
▪ The job is exhausting and badly paid.
▷ tip /tɪp/ [transitive verb]
to pay a waiter, taxi driver etc a little extra money :
▪ Did you tip the waiter?
▪ It’s usual to tip about 15% in restaurants.
tipping [uncountable noun]
▪ A service charge is included on the bill, so tipping isn’t necessary.
▷ make it worth somebody’s while /meɪk ɪt ˌwɜːʳθ somebodyˈs ˈwaɪl/ [verb phrase] informal
if you tell someone you will make it worth their while, you mean you will give them money if they agree to do something for you, especially something dishonest or not convenient :
▪ I didn’t want to lend Terry my car, but he said he’d make it worth my while.
▪ The basketball federation in Kuwait offered him a coaching job, and made it worth his while.
▷ buy off /ˌbaɪ ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to give someone money to stop them from causing trouble or doing something that they have threatened to do :
buy somebody off/buy off somebody
▪ Do you really think the cops can’t be bought off?
buy somebody off with something
▪ The management has been trying to buy off union activists with substantial pay offers.
5. to pay someone to do something dishonest or illegal
▷ bribe /braɪb/ [transitive verb]
to give money to someone in an official position, in order to persuade them to do something that they should not do :
▪ Santo was convicted of bribing tax inspectors in Italy.
bribe somebody to do something
▪ He bribed a guard to smuggle a note out of the prison.
bribe somebody into doing something
▪ Judges are bribed or threatened into making decisions favorable to drug traffickers.
bribe [countable noun]
money that you use to bribe someone :
▪ The judge was accused of accepting bribes.
bribery [uncountable noun]
when people are bribed :
▪ There was widespread bribery and corruption in the police department.
▷ kickback /ˈkɪkbæk/ [countable noun]
a large amount of money paid to someone in a high position in a company or government, for arranging a business deal for you :
▪ Top executives received millions of dollars in kickbacks.
▪ He offered me $20,000 as a kickback if I’d push through a $500,000 loan.
▷ backhander/bung /ˈbækhændəʳ, bʌŋ/ [countable noun] British informal
a small amount of money paid to someone to persuade them to do something that is dishonest but usually not very serious :
▪ He denies accepting backhanders, though he admits being offered them.
▪ George gave the bouncer a bung, and we got into the nightclub.
6. to pay back money that you owe someone
▷ pay back /ˌpeɪ ˈbæk/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to give someone back money that you have borrowed from them :
pay somebody back
▪ I’ll pay you back tomorrow.
pay back something
▪ How are you going to pay back all that money?
▪ He’s paid back about half of what he owes us.
pay back a loan/debt etc
▪ After graduation, the student must begin to pay back the loan.
▷ repay /rɪˈpeɪ/ [transitive verb]
to pay a large amount of money that you owe, especially to a bank :
▪ The loan has to be repaid within two years.
▪ There were doubts about the country’s ability to repay the debt.
▪ My parents lent me the money to buy a car, and I repaid them over the next year.
▷ pay off /ˌpeɪ ˈɒf/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to finish paying back an amount of money that you have borrowed :
pay off a debt/loan/mortgage etc
▪ The mortgage will be paid off over twenty-five years.
▪ He paid off the loan six months early.
pay a debt/loan/mortgage etc off
▪ The country hopes to pay all its debts off within twenty years.
▷ pay up /ˌpeɪ ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to pay money that you owe, especially when you do not want to or when you are late paying it :
▪ If they don’t pay up we will take legal action.
▪ The company paid up eventually, but only after repeated threats and reminders.
▷ settle /ˈsetl/ [transitive verb]
settle an account/bill/loan etc
to pay money that you owe someone - used especially in business contexts :
▪ Please settle this account within two weeks.
▪ I settled the bill and left the restaurant.
▷ clear /klɪəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to finally pay all the money that you owe, after some time or with some difficulty :
▪ This cheque should clear my overdraft.
▪ We’re hoping that we can clear all our debts by the end of the year.
▷ give somebody their money back/give somebody a refund /ˌgɪv somebody ðeəʳ ˈmʌni ˌbæk, ˌgɪv somebody ə ˈriːfʌnd/ [verb phrase]
to give back to someone the money that they paid for something, especially because they are not satisfied with what they bought or there is something wrong with it :
▪ We’ll give you a refund if you’re not entirely satisfied.
▪ It’s the wrong size. Do you think they’ll give me my money back?
refund [countable noun]
the money you get when someone gives you a refund :
▪ You can’t have a refund unless you bring us the receipt.
tax refund
American
▪ I think I should get a pretty big tax refund this year.
refund /rɪˈfʌnd/ [transitive verb] formal :
▪ The fee will be refunded upon presentation of the receipt.
▷ reimburse /ˌriːɪmˈbɜːʳs/ [transitive verb] formal
to pay money to someone for something that they have had to pay for or have lost because of you :
▪ Pay for the hotel room when you leave, and the company will reimburse you later.
▪ He wouldn’t let me reimburse him for the cost of his journey.
▪ We pay for any repairs that need doing to the house, and are reimbursed by the landlord.
▷ rebate /ˈriːbeɪt/ [countable noun]
an amount of money that is paid back to you, especially because you have paid too much in taxes, rent etc. In American English a tax rebate is called a tax refund :
▪ The Ford Citibank credit card offers a 5 percent rebate on the purchase of a new Ford car or truck.
tax/rent rebate
British
▪ We were delighted to hear that we were entitled to a tax rebate of over £1000.
7. to pay for something before you receive it
▷ pay in advance /ˌpeɪ ɪn ədˈvɑːnsǁ-ˈvæns/ [verb phrase]
to pay for something before you receive it :
▪ Customs fees are paid in advance as part of your airline ticket.
▪ Don’t pay cash in advance for any service.
▷ up front /ʌp ˈfrʌnt/ [adverb]
if you pay for something up front, you pay or partly pay for it before you receive it, especially in order to show the person you are paying that they can trust you :
▪ I paid the builders £100 up front and will give them the rest when the job’s finished.
▪ We’ve had so many unpaid bills that we’ve started to demand payment up front.
▷ make/put a down payment on /meɪk, pʊt ə ˌdaʊn ˈpeɪmənt ɒn/ [verb phrase]
to pay part of the cost of something expensive, especially a home or car, and agree to pay the rest at a later time :
▪ We saved enough money to make a down payment on a house.
▪ He borrowed money from his family to put a down payment on a truck.
▷ put/make/pay a deposit on /ˌpʊt, ˌmeɪk, ˌpeɪ ə dɪˈpɒzə̇t ɒnǁ-ˈpɑː-/ [verb phrase]
to pay part of the cost of something before you buy it, especially so that no one else can buy it instead of you :
▪ We’ve put a deposit on a round-the-world tour.
▪ The Center has helped several poor families pay the deposit on a better apartment.
▷ put $100/£100 etc down on /pʊt ə hʌndrə̇d dɑləʳz ˈdaʊn ɒn-dɑːl-/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to pay money towards the cost of something so that you can be sure it will be sold to you :
▪ I’ve put £200 down on a new bedroom carpet.
▪ Greg’s parents are going to give us some money to put down on a car.
▷ put something on layaway /ˌpʊt something ɒn ˈleɪəweɪ/ [verb phrase] American
to pay part of the money for something you buy at a store, such as a piece of clothing or a gift, so that the store keeps it for you until you can pay the rest :
▪ I’d like to put this sweater on layaway, please.
8. to buy something and pay for it later
▷ get/buy something on credit /ˌget, ˌbaɪ something ɒn ˈkredə̇t/ [verb phrase]
to buy something and pay for it later, usually by making small regular payments :
▪ Most people have to make major purchases on credit.
▪ In 2001, 56% of new cars were bought on credit.
▷ put something on the slate /ˌpʊt something ɒn ðə ˈsleɪt/ [verb phrase]
to receive goods or services, especially in small shops or places where you know the owner, and agree to pay for them at a later time :
▪ Can I put it on the slate, and I’ll pay at the end of the week?
9. to pay money to someone because they have suffered an injury, loss, damage etc
▷ compensate /ˈkɒmpənseɪtǁˈkɑːm-/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
▪ People are entitled to be compensated fully whenever they are injured by others’ carelessness.
compensate for
▪ No amount of money can compensate for my father’s death.
compensate somebody for something
▪ The workers have still not been compensated for their loss of wages.
▷ damages /ˈdæmɪdʒɪz, ˈdæmɪdʒəz/ [plural noun]
money that a law court orders someone to pay to you because they have caused you harm :
pay somebody damages
▪ Survivors of the air crash were paid $10000 each in damages.
award somebody damages
agree that damages should be paid
▪ Damages of £2500 were awarded by the court.
▷ compensation /ˌkɒmpənˈseɪʃ ə nǁˌkɑːm-/ [uncountable noun]
money that someone pays you because they have caused you harm, loss, or damage to your property :
▪ The government cannot take private property for public use without compensation.
pay somebody compensation
▪ His employers paid him $5000 compensation for his broken leg.
compensation for
▪ See if you can get some compensation from the airline for your lost baggage.
10. to provide money for someone else to live on
▷ provide for /prəˈvaɪd fɔːʳ/ [transitive verb]
to provide money for your family to live on :
▪ When she was unemployed it was very difficult to provide for her children.
▪ A life insurance policy enables you to provide for your family after your death.
well provided for
▪ He left his family well-provided for.
▷ support /səˈpɔːʳt/ [transitive verb]
to provide enough money for someone to pay for all the things they need, especially if you do this by working :
▪ He has a wife and two children to support.
▪ A lot of people can barely earn enough to support themselves, let alone their families.
▪ My parents didn’t have to support me when I was at college because I received a grant.
▷ pay maintenance /peɪ ˈmeɪnt ə nəns/ [verb phrase] British
to pay a regular amount of money to the person you used to be married to, especially to support children of yours that you no longer live with :
▪ Maintenance will be paid until the child reaches 18 or leaves full-time education.
▷ pay child support /peɪ ˈtʃaɪld səˌpɔːʳt/ [verb phrase]
to pay a regular amount of money to help support children of yours that you no longer live with :
▪ He had been paying child support for his two children since 1985.
▷ pay alimony /peɪ ˈælə̇məniǁ-məʊni/ [verb phrase]
to pay a regular amount of money to the person you used to be married to :
▪ The judge ordered McFadden to pay alimony of $2,400 a month.
11. to provide money to help someone do something
▷ subsidize also subsidise British /ˈsʌbsɪdaɪz, ˈsʌbsədaɪz/ [transitive verb]
if a government or other organization subsidizes something, it pays part of the cost :
▪ Many companies subsidize meals for their workers.
▪ a government-subsidized health service
▪ The city council subsidizes the local orchestra.
▷ sponsor /ˈspɒnsəʳǁˈspɑːn-/ [transitive verb]
if a company sponsors something such as sports event, a theatre, or an art show, it provides some of the money that is needed, often as a form of advertising :
▪ The new league will be sponsored by Pepsi Cola.
▪ The bank is sponsoring an art exhibition.
sponsor [countable noun]
▪ Sponsors’ corporate logos are placed on the boards surrounding the field.
▷ fund /fʌnd/ [transitive verb]
to provide all the money needed to pay for something, especially an important or expensive plan :
▪ Both schools and industry will be involved in funding the new training projects.
▪ a charity funded by private donations
▪ The state should fund the arts for the benefit of us all.
▷ bankroll /ˈbæŋkrəʊl/ [transitive verb] informal
to provide the money for something such as a business or a plan :
▪ The competition is being bankrolled by a New York businessman and computer enthusiast.
▪ Ed Bass, a millionaire from Texas, bankrolled the Biosphere project.
▷ underwrite /ˌʌndəˈraɪt/ [transitive verb]
to provide the money needed for something and agree to take responsibility and pay any debts if it fails :
▪ The British government has agreed to underwrite the project with a grant of £5 million.
▪ The venture was underwritten by several companies.
▷ put money into /ˌpʊt ˈmʌni ɪntuː/ [verb phrase]
to provide some of the money needed to start or continue in business, hoping that you will get more money back if the business is successful :
▪ Small investors and large companies have both put money into the exhibition.
▪ He put all his money into a dotcom company that later failed.
▷ finance/back /faɪˈnænsǁˈfaɪnæns, bæk/ [transitive verb]
to provide the money needed to pay for something, especially by doing something to earn or collect that money :
▪ The government uses money from taxes to finance higher education.
▪ She gave swimming lessons to finance her stay in Australia.
▪ It’s a great show, but he can’t find anyone to back it.
▪ The bank is eager to back business ideas by local people.
▷ pour money into /ˌpɔːʳ ˈmʌni ɪntuː/ [verb phrase]
to provide a lot of money over a period of time to pay for something, especially something that will later be unsuccessful :
▪ Many biotech companies are not yet profitable, as they continue to pour money into research and trials.
▷ throw money at /ˌθrəʊ ˈmʌni æt/ [verb phrase]
to provide a lot of money for something, especially government money - use this when you do not think that this is the best way of solving a problem or improving a situation :
▪ The way to solve the education crisis is not necessarily to throw money at it.
▪ The Republicans see him as a liberal whose only solution to the nation’s problems was to throw money at them.
12. an amount of money that is paid
▷ payment /ˈpeɪmənt/ [countable noun]
an amount of money that you pay for something, especially when it is only one part of the total amount you have to pay :
▪ Your first payment is due on July 16th.
mortgage/car/credit card etc payment
▪ The family spends about $1,800 a month on their mortgage payments.
make a payment
▪ He makes monthly payments into his ex-wife’s bank account.
payment of
▪ They have a monthly car payment of £220.
▷ instalment British /installment American /ɪnˈstɔːlmənt/ [countable noun]
a regular payment you make to pay back money that you have borrowed or to pay for things that you have already received :
▪ To avoid penalties, pay the installments by the December 10 and April 10 dates.
instalment of £250/$1000 etc
▪ I borrowed $2000, which was to be paid back in monthly installments of $250.
in instalments
▪ You can pay me in instalments if you can’t afford to give me all the money back in one go.
▷ deposit/down payment /dɪˈpɒzɪt, dɪˈpɒzətǁdɪˈpɑː-, ˌdaʊn ˈpeɪmənt/ [countable noun]
part of the cost of something that you pay before you get it, so that it will not be sold to anyone else and so that the seller is certain that you will buy it :
▪ Most stores ask for a small deposit if they are to keep goods for you.
$20/£5 etc deposit
▪ Yes, we have plenty of rooms available, but you’ll have to pay a $20 deposit.
deposit/down payment on
▪ She’s paid the deposit on a new bed.
leave a deposit
▪ Would you mind leaving a deposit? You can collect the picture when it’s ready next week.
▷ down payment /ˌdaʊn ˈpeɪmənt/ [countable noun]
the first amount of money that you pay for something expensive, which you will continue to pay for over a long period of time :
▪ For a 40 percent down payment on a new car, the company will arrange a no-interest loan.
make a down payment on something
▪ We almost have enough to make a down payment on the house.
▷ tip /tɪp/ [countable noun]
a small amount of money that you give someone such as a waiter or taxi-driver in addition to the ordinary payment :
▪ The boy carried my suitcases up to my room and then stood waiting for a tip.
▪ A 15% tip is considered usual if the service was good.
leave a tip
▪ We finished our lunch and left a tip on the table for the waiter.
13. money that you have to pay as a punishment
▷ fine /faɪn/ [countable noun]
▪ I got a fine for parking on a double yellow line.
heavy fine
▪ There are heavy fines for drink-driving. You might even go to prison.
£30/$100 fine
▪ He got a $75 fine for speeding.
library fine/parking fine etc
▪ If you’re going into town, will you go and pay my library fines for me please?
▷ fine /faɪn/ [transitive verb]
to make someone pay money as a punishment :
fine somebody for something
▪ Stores will be fined for selling cigarettes or tobacco to minors.
fine somebody £5/$100 etc
▪ The company was fined $1.6 million for breaking environmental regulations.
be/get fined
▪ You will be fined for any lost library books.
14. a piece of paper that shows how much you must pay
▷ bill /bɪl/ [countable noun]
a piece of paper that tells you how much you must pay for services you have received or for work that has been done for you :
▪ Can I have the bill, please?
telephone/gas/electricity etc bill
▪ We’ve just had a huge telephone bill.
pay a bill
▪ They left the hotel without paying the bill.
a bill for £50/$100 etc
▪ The garage sent me a bill for £400.
the bill comes to
the amount on the bill adds up to
▪ The bill for the meal came to $75, including wine.
▷ check /tʃek/ [singular noun] American
a piece of paper that tells you how much you must pay in a restaurant :
▪ A waiter came over and handed me the check.
pay the check
▪ Let me pay the check.
▷ tab /tæb/ [singular noun] informal
a bill that is added up at the end of a period of time, showing how much you owe for drinks, food etc :
▪ The bride’s father paid the tab for the party.
put something on the tab
▪ He ordered dinner and asked for it to be put on his tab.
run up a tab
▪ In just two days, she’d run up a bar tab of $175.
▷ invoice /ˈɪnvɔɪs/ [countable noun]
a bill given to you by a company or organization, which tells you how much you owe them for goods, services or work that they have provided :
▪ You will find the invoice attached to the box.
▪ They sent him an invoice at the end of the month.
invoice for £250/$300 etc
▪ We have received an invoice for $250.
15. to tell someone in writing how much they should pay you
▷ bill /bɪl/ [transitive verb]
to send someone a document showing how much money they must pay you, for goods or services they have received :
▪ Some lawyers bill clients up to $300 an hour.
bill somebody for something
▪ One lobbyist billed the environmental group $20,000 for nine-months’ work.
▷ invoice /ˈɪnvɔɪs/ [transitive verb]
if a company or organization invoices you, they send you a bill showing how much you have to pay for goods and services they have provided :
▪ You will be invoiced as soon as the work is completed.
invoice somebody for something
▪ The company invoiced us for the cost of using their conference hall.
16. when you are paid or not paid for doing an activity or sport
▷ professional /prəˈfeʃ ə nəl/ [adjective only before noun]
a professional sports player, musician, actor etc gets paid for playing, acting etc, and they do it as their job :
▪ Professional basketball players can earn millions of dollars.
professional [countable noun]
someone who gets paid for doing a job, sport, or activity that most people do for enjoyment :
▪ The play is performed by 50 local actors led by four professionals.
▷ amateur /ˈæmətəʳ, -tʃʊəʳ, -tʃəʳ, ˈæməˈtɜʳ/ [adjective only before noun]
an amateur sports player, musician, actor etc does not get paid for playing, acting etc , but they do it for enjoyment :
▪ A group of amateur actors performed ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
▪ an amateur photographer
amateur [countable noun]
someone who does an activity or sport for enjoyment, and not as their job :
▪ The orchestra is made up entirely of amateurs.
▷ voluntary British /volunteer American /ˈvɒlənt ə riǁˈvɑːlənteri, ˌvɒlənˈtɪəʳǁˌvɑː-/ [adjective usually before noun]
voluntary or volunteer work is done by people who do it because they believe it is useful, and do not expect to be paid :
▪ When she retired, she did a lot of voluntary work for the Red Cross.
▷ unpaid /ˌʌnˈpeɪd◂/ [adjective]
not paid :
unpaid worker/volunteer etc
▪ Perry stayed on with the Agency as an unpaid adviser.
unpaid work/service/overtime etc
▪ Employees were often required to work unpaid overtime.
unpaid leave/holiday/vacation
▪ The company allows its employees to take unpaid leave for various reasons.