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WordReference English-German Dictionary © 2026:
| pay [sth] back vtr phrasal sep | (return money) | zurückzahlen Vt, sepa |
| | I can't afford to pay back the fifty pounds he lent me. |
| | Ich habe nicht genug Geld, um ihm die 50 Pfund, die er mir geliehen hat, zurückzuzahlen. |
| pay [sb] back vtr phrasal sep | (return money to) | zurückzahlen Vt, sepa |
| | | zurückgeben Vt, sepa |
| | | wiedergeben Vt, sepa |
| | I will pay you back the £5 tomorrow. |
| | Ich werde dir die 5 Pfund morgen zurückzahlen. |
| pay [sb] back vtr phrasal sep | figurative, informal (take revenge on) | heimzahlen Vt, sepa |
| | | sich bei jmdm rächen Präp + Vr |
| | After John embarrassed Susan, she paid him back by playing a joke on him. |
| | Nachdem John Susan blamiert hatte, zahlte es sie ihm heim, indem sie ihm einen Streich spielte. |
| pay [sb] back for [sth] vtr phrasal sep | figurative, informal (take revenge for [sth]) | sich für [etw] rächen Präp + Vr |
| | How shall I pay him back for that dirty trick he played on me? |
| | Wie soll ich mich für den üblen Streich, den er mir gespielt hat, rächen? |
| pay [sb] back for doing [sth] vtr phrasal sep | figurative, informal (take revenge for [sth]) (übertragen) | es jmdm für [etw] heimzahlen Pron + Vt, sepa |
| | | jmdm [etw] heimzahlen, dafür dass Vt, sepa |
| | | sich dafür rächen, dass [jmd] [etw] getan hat Vr |
| | I still haven't paid you back for humiliating me in front of all my friends. |
| | Ich habe mich bis jetzt noch nicht dafür gerächt, dass du mich vor all meinen Freunden blamiert hast. |
| pay [sth] down vtr phrasal sep | (make a down payment) | anzahlen Vt, sepa |
pay down [sth],
pay [sth] down vtr phrasal sep | mainly US (partly pay off, pay back: debt) | [etw] teilweise zurückzahlen Adv + Vt, sepa |
pay in [sth],
pay [sth] in vtr phrasal sep | (money: put into a bank) | etwas einzahlen Vt, sepa |
| | I went to the bank and paid in a cheque. |
| pay [sth] in full vtr phrasal sep | (pay completely) | sofort bezahlen Adv + Vt |
| | | komplett bezahlen Adj + Vt |
| | | den gesamten Betrag bezahlen Rdw |
| | I was happy to pay the invoice in full and be free of debt. |
pay [sth] off,
pay off [sth] vtr phrasal sep | (pay all of: money owed) | abbezahlen Vt, sepa |
| | | zahlen Vt |
| | (Rechnung) | begleichen Vt |
| | I've nearly paid off my mortgage. |
| | The collection company kept calling me for weeks until I finally paid off my debt. |
| | Ich habe meine Hypothek fast abbezahlt. |
| | Die Schuldeneintreiber haben mich Wochen lang angerufen, bis ich endlich meine Schulden zahlte. |
pay [sb] off,
pay off [sb] vtr phrasal sep | informal (bribe: [sb]) | bestechen Vt |
| | The businesswoman wanted Leo to stay quiet about her fraudulent practices, so she paid him off. |
| | Die Unternehmerin wollte, dass Leo Stillschweigen über ihre illegalen Machenschaften bewahrt, also bestach sie ihn. |
| pay off vi phrasal | informal (have good consequences) | sich auszahlen Vr, sepa |
| | | sich lohnen, sich rentieren Vr |
| | | sich bezahlt machen VP |
| | Hard work and careful planning always pay off. |
| | Harte Arbeit und sorgfältige Planung zahlen sich immer aus. |
| pay out vi phrasal | (yield a financial reward) | auszahlen Vr, sepa |
| | | lohnen Vr |
| | | Gewinn einbringen Nm + Vt, sepa |
| | It will take five years for your investment to pay out. |
| pay out [sth] vtr phrasal insep | (yield a sum of money) | abwerfen Vt, sepa |
| | | auszahlen Vt, sepa |
| | This slot machine will pay out a fortune if you hit the jackpot. |
| | My pension fund will pay out enough to live on. |
| | Dieser Spielautomat wird ein Vermögen abwerfen, wenn du den Jackpot knackst. |
| | Meine Pensionskasse zahlt genug aus, dass ich davon leben kann. |
| pay out [sth] vtr phrasal insep | (spend: a sum of money) | [etw] ausgeben Vt, sepa |
| | (informell) | [etw] hinblättern Vt, sepa |
| | I paid out a lot of money for this expensive computer. |
| | Ich habe für diesen teuren Computer viel ausgegeben. |
| pay up vi phrasal | informal (pay an amount owed) | seine Schulden begleichen VP |
| | | Geld zurückgeben Nn + Vt, sepa |
| | | Geld zurückzahlen Nn + Vt, sepa |
| | You've owed me that money for over a month. It's time to pay up. |
| | Du schuldest mir dieses Geld schon mehr als einen Monat. Es wird Zeit, dass du deine Schulden begleichst. |
| Zusammengesetzte Wörter: |
WordReference English-German Dictionary © 2026:
| back pay n | (law: wages for previous work) | Nachzahlung Nf |
| | The court has ordered that Mr Smith's former employer pay him £20,000 in back pay. |
| draw your pay v expr | (receive wage) | bezahlt werden V Part Perf + Hv |
| | | Lohn erhalten, Lohn bekommen Nm + Vt |
| | (vage) | Geld bekommen Nn + Vt |
| | The workers drew their pay at the end of each week. |
| equal pay n | (same salary for men and women) | gleicher Lohn Adj + Nm |
| | | gleiche Bezahlung Adj + Nf |
| | | gleiches Gehalt Adj + Nn |
| half-pay adj | (half of normal salary) | Hälfte des Lohns Rdw |
| | | halber Lohn Adj + Nm |
| hazard pay n | (money for dangerous job) | Gefahrenzulage Nf |
| | | Gefahrenzuschlag Nm |
| pay [sb] a compliment v expr | (make a flattering comment to) | jmdm ein Kompliment machen Rdw |
| | I was stunned when my boss said he liked my report; it was the first time he had ever paid me a compliment. |
| pay a visit v expr | informal, euphemism, UK (go to the toilet) (Slang) | aufs Klo gehen Rdw |
| | | zur Toilette gehen Rdw |
| | Let's stop at the next service station; I need to pay a visit! |
| pay [sb] a visit v expr | (go and see [sb]) (ugs) | jemandem einen Besuch abstatten Rdw |
| | (höflich) | jemanden besuchen Vt |
| | (informell) | bei jemandem vorbeischauen Präp + Vi, sepa |
| | I haven't seen my parents since Christmas. It's time to pay them a visit. |
| pay as you go n | (prepaid mobile phone use) (Tech) | Prepaidhandy Nn |
| Anmerkung: hyphen used when term is an adj before a noun |
pay as you go,
pay-as-you-go adj | (debts paid as they are incurred) | Prepaid- Präf |
| pay as you go v expr | (pay debts as they are incurred) | Bezahlung nach Nutzung Rdw |
| | | nutzungsabhängige Bezahlung Adj + Nf |
| pay attention vtr + n | (be attentive) | Pass auf Int |
| | Pay attention! Don't keep reading when I'm talking to you! |
| | Passt auf! Ihr sollt nicht lesen, wenn ich mit euch spreche! |
| pay attention to [sth] v expr | (take notice of) | [etw] beachten Vt |
| | Please pay attention to this important information. |
| | Bitte beachten Sie diese wichtige Information. |
| pay attention to [sth] v expr | (concentrate on) | auf [etw] achten Präp + Vi |
| | | auf [etw] aufpassen Präp + Vi, sepa |
| | | folgen Vi |
| | Pay close attention to every word he says. |
| | Achte auf jedes seiner Worte. |
| pay attention to [sb] v expr | (listen to [sb]) | zuhören Vi, sepa |
| | Pay attention to me when I'm trying to tell you something important. |
| | Hör mir zu, wenn ich dir etwas wichtiges erzählen will. |
| pay [sb] back for [sth] v expr | (return money borrowed from [sb]) | Geld wiedergeben Nn + Vt, sepa |
| | | Geld zurückgeben, Geld zurückzahlen Nn + Vt, sepa |
| | I paid him back for the drinks he had bought us. |
| | Ich habe ihm das Geld für die Getränke, die er uns gekauft hat, wiedergegeben. |
| pay cash v expr | (pay using coins or notes) | in Bar zahlen, in Bar bezahlen VP |
| | You can't use a credit card here; you have to pay cash. |
| pay close attention v expr | (take notice) | aufpassen Vi, sepa |
| | | aufmerksam sein Adj + Vt |
| | I was paying close attention but I still have no idea how the magician lifted your watch! |
| pay close attention to [sth] v expr | (take notice of [sth]) | [etw] Aufmerksamkeit schenken Nf + Vt |
| | | sich auf [etw] konzentrieren Rdw |
| | Pay close attention to what I say because I won't repeat it. |
| pay dirt n | figurative, informal ([sth] lucrative) | Gold Nn |
| | He knew he hit pay dirt when he was offered $100,000 for his story. |
| pay dirt n | (ore that is profitable for mining) | abbaubares Erz Adj + Nn |
| paydown n | US (type of debt reduction) | Anzahlung Nf |
| pay homage to [sb/sth] vtr | (show one's respect towards) | ehren Vt |
| | | [jmd/etw] Ehre erweisen Nf + Vt |
| | | huldigen Vt |
| | The worshippers paid homage to their leader. |
| pay homage to [sb/sth] vtr | (do [sth] as a tribute to) | ehren Vt |
| | | [jmd/etw] Ehre erweisen Nf + Vt |
| | | huldigen Vt |
| | Fans organized a candlelit vigil to pay homage to their fallen star. |
| pay in cash v expr | (pay in coins or notes) | in Bar zahlen, in Bar bezahlen VP |
| | I don't have any credit cards: I always pay in cash. |
| pay [sth] in full⇒ vtr | (repay completely) | [etw] auf einmal zurückzahlen Rdw |
| | | den gesamten Betrag zurückbezahlen Rdw |
pay lip service to [sth/sb],
pay [sth/sb] lip service v expr | figurative (give superficial attention) | ein Lippenbekenntnis ablegen Rdw |
| | Obama paid lip service to closing Guantanamo, but he hasn't taken action yet. |
| pay no attention to v expr | (ignore, not take notice of) | keine Aufmerksamkeit schenken Rdw |
| | | ignorieren Vt |
| | | nicht auf [etw] achten Rdw |
| | Pay no attention to his rudeness. |
| pay no mind v expr | informal (ignore or disregard [sb]) | sich nicht für etwas interessieren Rdw |
| | | keine Beachtung schenken Rdw |
| | | ignorieren Vt |
| | The deer was a good distance away and paid us no mind. |
pay [sth] out,
pay out [sth] vtr + adv | (rope, line: slacken gradually) | [etw] nachlassen Vt, sepa |
| | | [etw] zugeben Vt, sepa |
| | The belayer pays out the rope as needed. |
pay phone,
payphone n | (public phone: takes coins, card) | Münztelefon Nn |
| | I didn't have enough money to use the pay phone. |
pay raise (US),
pay rise (UK) n | (increase in wages, salary) | Gehaltserhöhung, Lohnerhöhung Nf |
| | Staff are expected to settle for a pay rise of around 1%. |
| pay scale n | (salary range) | Gehaltstabelle Nf |
| | | Lohntabelle Nf |
| pay special attention to [sth] v expr | (take specific note of) (ugs) | genau auf etwas achten Rdw |
| | The math teacher said we should pay special attention to the negative signs. |
| pay the bill v expr | (pay costs incurred) (ugs) | zahlen, bezahlen Vi |
| | | die Rechnung zahlen, die Rechnung bezahlen VP |
| | I asked the waiter if I could pay the bill. |
| pay through the nose v expr | figurative (spend too much money on [sth]) | sich dumm und dämlich zahlen Rdw |
| | | tief in die Tasche greifen müssen Rdw |
| | Our train was cancelled, so we ended up paying through the nose to take a taxi. |
| pay through the nose for [sth] v expr | figurative (spend too much money on [sth]) | sich bei [etw] dumm und dämlich zahlen Rdw |
| | | für [etw] tief in die Tasche greifen müssen Rdw |
| | He paid through the nose for that car, and it's nothing but a piece of junk. |
| pay tribute v expr | (show one's respect) (ugs) | Respekt zeigen Nm + Vt |
| | (gehoben) | Tribut zollen Nm + Vt |
| pay tribute to [sb/sth] v expr | (speak respectfully of) | jmdm Anerkennung zeigen Nf + Vt |
| | | jmdm Ehre erweisen Nf + Vt |
| | | jmdm gegenüber seinen Respekt aussprechen VP |
| | Everyone paid tribute to the firemen's bravery in rescuing the child. |
| pay your dues v expr | figurative (do [sth] you are expected to do) | seinen Verpflichtungen nachkommen Rdw |
| | | tun was von einem verlangt wird Rdw |
| pay your respects v expr | (honor [sb] who has died) | jmdm die letzte Ehre erweisen Rdw |
| | 200 people turned up to Mr Smith's funeral to pay their respects. |
pay your respects to [sb],
pay your last respects to [sb],
pay your final respects to [sb] v expr | (honor [sb] who has died) | jmdm die letzte Ehre erweisen Rdw |
| | He went to the funeral to pay his last respects to his beloved teacher. |
| pay your respects to [sb] v expr | (greet [sb] courteously) (Slang) | sich bei jmdm blicken lassen Rdw |
| | (ugs) | bei jmdm vorbeisehen Präp + Vi, sepa |
| | (gehoben) | jmdm seine Aufwartung machen Rdw |
| | While I'm visiting in town I should pay my respects to the mayor; he's an old friend of my father's. |
| pay your way v expr | (contribute fairly to expenses) | für sich selbst aufkommen Rdw |
| | | seine eigenen Kosten bezahlen Rdw |
| | When he got a job, Teresa told her teenage son that, if he wanted to continue living with her, he would have to pay his way. |
| pay-per-click n | (Internet: business model) (Anglizismus) | Pay-per-Click En |
| | (Abk, Anglizismus) | PPC En |
| pay-per-click n as adj | (relating to this Internet business model) (Anglizismus) | Pay per Click Adj |
| | | Pay-per-Click- Präf |
| | (Abk, Anglizismus) | PPC Adj |
| pay-per-view adj | (TV) (Anglizismus) | Pay-Per-View- Präf |
paycheck (US),
pay cheque (UK) n | (wage or salary check) (Festgehalt) | Gehaltsscheck Nm |
| | (Stundenlohn) | Lohnscheck Nm |
| | The company hands out paychecks every Friday. |
| payday n | (day when wages are paid) | Zahltag Nm |
| | (formell) | Tag der Gehaltsabrechnung Rdw |
| | Nick goes to the casino every payday. |
payoff,
also UK: pay-off n | informal (bribe) (umgangssprachlich) | Schmiergeld Nn |
| | The drug dealer offered the police officer a payoff to look the other way. |
payoff,
also UK: pay-off n | (redundancy payment) (Finanzwesen) | Ausgleichszahlung Nf |
| | (Finanzwesen) | Ausgleichsbetrag Nm |
| | (Finanzwesen) | Abrechnung Nf |
| | Simon was made redundant last year, but after thirty years with the same company, he got a good payoff. |
payoff,
also UK: pay-off n | (profit) (übertragen) | Lohn Nm |
| | The backers are hoping for a quick payoff on their investments. |
payoff,
also UK: pay-off n | informal (advantage) (übertragen) | Lohn Nm |
| | | Ergebnis Nn |
| | Learning a new language is hard work, but the payoff is that you can communicate with a whole new group of people. |
payoff,
also UK: pay-off n | (amount to clear debt) | Abschlusszahlung Nf |
| | Quentin handed over the payoff and was relieved to know he was now clear of debt. |
| PPC n | initialism (pay-per-click) (Abk, Anglizismus) | PPC En |
| | (Anglizismus) | Pay per Click En |
| PPC n as adj | initialism (pay-per-click) (Abk, Anglizismus) | PPC Adj |
| | (Anglizismus) | Pay per Click Adj |
raise (US),
pay rise (UK) n | US, informal (pay rise: increase in pay) | Lohnerhöhung Nf |
| | | Gehaltserhöhung Nf |
| | He got a raise of 4%. |
settle the score,
pay off the score v expr | figurative (take revenge) | revanchieren Vr |
| | | rächen Vr |
settle the score with [sb],
pay off the score with [sb] v expr | figurative (take revenge on [sb]) | sich an jemandem rächen Rdw |
| | | es jemandem heimzahlen Vt, sepa |
| | Alex dreamed up ways to settle the score with his enemies. |
| | The author wrote the scandalous book to settle the score with her one-time friends. |
| severance pay n | (redundancy payout) | Abfindung Nf |
| | I didn't even get any severance pay when I was made redundant. |
| sick pay n | (compensation for absence while ill) | Krankengeld Nn |
| | | Lohnfortzahlung im Krankheitsfall Rdw |
| | I've already used up all my sick pay for this financial year. |
| take-home n | informal (wages, salary after tax) | Nettogehalt Nn |
| | Gary's take-home pay is £500 per week. |
uplift,
pay uplift n | (increase in wages) | Erhöhung Nf |
| | | Anhebung Nf |
| | Workers are demanding an uplift in wages across the board. |