verb
Very common
bought
BAWT
Bought (verb) means past tense and past participle of buy: to have paid money for something. Example: “I bought some bread and milk on my way home from work.”
verb
1
Past tense and past participle of buy: to have paid money for something.
"I bought some bread and milk on my way home from work."
"She bought a new laptop for university."
"We bought our tickets weeks in advance."
adj
1
Corrupt or controlled because of money from a special interest.
"Critics called the senator a bought politician after the donation scandal broke."
"The fans felt the referee was bought after his strange decisions."
"Nobody trusted the bought judge after he ruled in favour of the sponsor."
How to use bought
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe past form of "buy"; also used to describe someone whose loyalty has been purchased.
Common pairings
bought and paid for
a bought politician
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Word forms
- Plural
- boughts
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
I _____ some bread and milk on my way home from work.
Etymology
From Middle English bought, bowght, bouȝt or *buȝt, probably an alteration of bight, biȝt, byȝt (“bend, bight”) influenced by bowen, buwen, buȝen (“to bow, bend”). It is cognate with Scots boucht, bucht, bout (“bend”); see also bight and bout.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for bought
See all rhymes for bought →Frequently asked questions
What does “bought” mean?
The word “bought” means past tense and past participle of buy: to have paid money for something. In plain terms, the past form of "buy"; also used to describe someone whose loyalty has been purchased.
How do you pronounce “bought”?
“Bought” is pronounced BAWT (/ˈbɔt/ in IPA).
How do you use “bought” in a sentence?
Here is “bought” used in a sentence: “She bought a new laptop for university.”
What part of speech is “bought”?
Depending on how it is used, “bought” can be a verb and an adjective.
Is “bought” a common word?
“Bought” is a very common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “bought” have?
“Bought” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: past tense and past participle of buy: to have paid money for something.
What is the difference between bought and brought?
"Bought" is the past tense of "buy" and means you paid for something. "Brought" is the past tense of "bring" and means you carried or took something somewhere. "I bought a gift" means you purchased it; "I brought a gift" means you carried it along. The extra "r" changes the meaning entirely.
Is it bought or buyed?
It is "bought." "Buy" is an irregular verb, so its past tense and past participle do not follow the usual "-ed" rule, and "buyed" is incorrect. You say "I buy today, I bought yesterday, and I have bought before." Both the past tense and past participle are "bought."
How do you use bought in a sentence?
"Bought" describes a completed purchase, as in "She bought a new car last week." As a past participle it pairs with "have," as in "They have bought their tickets already." In every case it means money was paid to obtain something.
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