buy off

verb

bought off; buying off; buys off

transitive verb

1
: to induce to refrain (as from prosecution) by a payment or other consideration
2
: to free (as from military service) by payment

Examples of buy off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Bothersome ghosts can be bought off or sent packing. — Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 23 Nov. 2025 China floods the zone with lots of engineers, almost buying off the votes. — Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025 This is the sharper version of the cynical read, that the companies are buying off the regulators. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026 The series takes its heroine’s emotional crossroads seriously while offering the fantasy of life lived in a perpetual glow, as sweet as a peach bought off a stand on the side of the road. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for buy off

Word History

First Known Use

1614, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of buy off was in 1614

Rhymes for buy off

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Browse Nearby Words

buyo
buy off
buy one's way
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Buy off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buy%20off. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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