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.

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

Your cars are old, which means they’ll eventually need to be repaired or replaced, and you still have a mortgage to pay down.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 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

pay down

Example Sentences

Related Words