buy off

B b

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [bahy awf, of]
- /baɪ ɔf, ɒf/
- /baɪ ɒf/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [bahy awf, of]
- /baɪ ɔf, ɒf/

Definitions of buy off words

phrasal verb buy off If you say that a person or organization buys off another person or group, you are criticizing the fact that they are giving them something such as money so that they will not complain or cause trouble. 3
verb buy off to pay (a person or group) to drop a charge, end opposition, relinquish a claim, etc 3
noun buy off a purchase 3
noun buy off to bribe 3
verb with object buy off to acquire the possession of, or the right to, by paying or promising to pay an equivalent, especially in money; purchase. 1
verb with object buy off to acquire by exchange or concession: to buy favor with flattery. 1

See all 19 definitions of buy off

Information block about the term

Origin of buy off

First appearance:

before 1000

One of the 6% oldest English words

before 1000; Middle English byen, variant of byggen, buggen, Old English bycgan; cognate with Old Saxon buggjan, Gothic bugjan to buy, Old Norse byggja to lend, rent

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Buy off

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Buy off

buy off popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

buy off usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for buy off

verb buy off

lubricate — to apply some oily or greasy substance to (a machine, parts of a mechanism, etc.) in order to diminish friction; oil or grease (something).
bribe — A bribe is a sum of money or something valuable that one person offers or gives to another in order to persuade him or her to do something.
influence — the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others: He used family influence to get the contract.
tamper — to meddle, especially for the purpose of altering, damaging, or misusing (usually followed by with): Someone has been tampering with the lock.
get to — to receive or come to have possession, use, or enjoyment of: to get a birthday present; to get a pension.

All 6 Synonyms of buy off