buy

buy
buy, purchase mean to acquire something for money or an equivalent.
Buy is at once the more general and the homelier word; consequently, while it may be freely used of any such transaction, it is distinctly the word of choice in respect to small, casual, or day-to-day exchanges of money for goods.
Purchase, on the other hand, frequently implies a transaction of some dignity or importance and negotiations or other efforts to obtain it. Thus, one buys (rather than purchases) a dozen eggs, a glass of beer, or a new hat, but one purchases (or buys) a yacht or a country estate
{

peace, how oft, how dearly boughtPope

}
{

thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money— Acts 8:20

}
Whereas buy may almost always be sub-stituted for purchase without disadvantage, the use of purchase instead of buy often weakens the effect or strikes a jarring note.
Analogous words: obtain, acquire, procure, *get: *pay, compensate, remunerate

New Dictionary of Synonyms. 2014.

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  • buy — [bī] vt. bought, buying [ME bien < OE bycgan < ? IE base of BOW1] 1. to get by paying or agreeing to pay money or some equivalent; purchase 2. to get as by an exchange [buy victory with human lives] 3. to be the means of purchasing [all… …   English World dictionary

  • Buy — (b[imac]), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bought} (b[add]t); p. pr. & vb. n. {Buying} (b[imac] [i^]ng).] [OE. buggen, buggen, bien, AS. bycgan, akin to OS. buggean, Goth. bugjan.] 1. To acquire the ownership of (property) by giving an accepted price or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • buy-in — ˈbuy in noun [countable] FINANCE when a company buys its own shares from existing shareholders; = BUYBACK: • A buy in has the advantage of removing small shareholders and frees the parent company to run the unit. ˌmanagement ˈbuy in FINANCE when… …   Financial and business terms

  • Buy — may refer to:* BUY (Burlington Alamance Regional Airport), Burlington, North Carolina * Buy.com, a shopping website * Buy (album), a 1979 album by James White and the Contortions * Buy River, a river in Perm Krai and the republics of… …   Wikipedia

  • buy — I verb acquire by purchase, acquire ownership of, bargain for, complete a purchase, contract, get in exchange, make a purchase, make one s own, mercari, obtain, order, pay a price for, pay cash for, pay for, procure, procure title to, purchase,… …   Law dictionary

  • Buy — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. {{{image}}}   Sigles d une seule lettre   Sigles de deux lettres > Sigles de trois lettres …   Wikipédia en Français

  • buy — ► VERB (buys, buying; past and past part. bought) 1) obtain in exchange for payment. 2) get (something) by sacrifice or great effort. 3) informal accept the truth of. ► NOUN informal ▪ a purchase …   English terms dictionary

  • Buy — ist der Name folgender Personen: Frans du Buy (* 1931), niederländischer Jurist und Völkerrechtler Margherita Buy (* 1962), italienische Schauspielerin Siehe auch: Best Buy, US amerikanisches Unternehmen mit Firmensitz in Richfield, Minnesota …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Buy — Buy, v. i. To negotiate or treat about a purchase. [1913 Webster] I will buy with you, sell with you. Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Buy Me — is a television program that is currently aired on HGTV in the U.S. (since 2005), and on HGTV Canada (since 2003), where it is that cable network s most popular show. It is also seen in Belgium and South Africa, either dubbed or with subtitles.… …   Wikipedia

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