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Definitions

pay down

VERB
spend
Synonyms
STRONGEST
allocate concentrate consume contribute donate drop employ expend give invest put in settle use waste
STRONG
absorb apply bestow blow confer defray deplete disburse dispense dissipate drain empty exhaust fritter lavish liquidate misspend squander
WEAK
ante up cast away come across come through cough up evote foot the bill hand out lay out outlay pay up run through shell out spring for throw away use up
Antonyms
STRONGEST
build hold keep neglect save shun take take away withhold
STRONG
fill hoard set aside
WEAK
be lazy earn get receive

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

A large tax refund is not free money to pay down your credit card or an annual bonus so you can take a holiday; it’s an interest-free loan you have given the government.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

Put simply, gold had become wildly popular over the past year, so when the war started it was the obvious thing to sell, either for caution or to pay down debt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

Paramount relies heavily on cable channel profits to pay down debt and said Monday there were no plans to sell any cable channels.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

Investors rely on it as a proxy for the discretionary cash a company has left over after reinvesting in its business to reward shareholders or pay down debt.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

She and Mama had worked for a daily coin allowance, which they’d then used to pay down their debt.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray