buy

S1 W1

BrE /bʌɪ/ AmE /baɪ/

verb en → es

past bought pp bought ing buying

1 PURCHASE [transitive] A1

to pay money for something in order to own it

comprar, adquirir

  • buy sth from sb

Collocations buy a car · buy groceries

  • I bought a new laptop last week.

    Compré una nueva computadora la semana pasada.

  • She buys her clothes from the local market.

    Ella compra su ropa en el mercado local.

Phrasal verbs

buy into BELIEVE IN B2

creer en, aceptar

  • He didn't buy into the company's new strategy.

    No creyó en la nueva estrategia de la empresa.

buy out PURCHASE ENTIRELY B2

comprar todo, comprarle a alguien su parte

  • The company was bought out by a larger firm.

    La empresa fue comprada por una firma más grande.

buy off PAY TO STOP B2

comprar el silencio, sobornar

  • They tried to buy the judge off.

    Intentaron comprar al juez.

buy up PURCHASE ALL B2

comprar todo, agotar el stock

  • The investors bought up all the shares.

    Los inversores compraron todas las acciones.

buy out PAY FOR PARTNER'S SHARE B2

comprar la parte de alguien, comprarle a alguien su parte

  • He decided to buy his partner out.

    Decidió comprarle a su socio su parte.

Idioms

buy time B2

ganar tiempo, dilatar el momento

  • They're trying to buy some time before making a decision.

    Están tratando de ganar algo de tiempo antes de tomar una decisión.

buy the farm C1

morir, fallecer (coloquial)

  • He was afraid he would buy the farm if he didn't stop smoking.

    Tenía miedo de morirse si no dejaba de fumar.

buy a pig in a poke C1

comprar un gato en saco cerrado, comprar sin saber lo que se recibe

  • It's like buying a pig in a poke to buy a used car without inspecting it.

    Es como comprar un gato en saco cerrado comprar un auto usado sin revisarlo.