price
PRYS
Price (noun) means the amount of money needed to buy something. Example: “The price of the laptop dropped during the holiday sale.”
noun
1
The amount of money needed to buy something.
"The price of the laptop dropped during the holiday sale."
"What's the price of admission to the museum?"
"Check the price tag before you take the jumper to the till."
2
A cost or sacrifice involved in achieving or obtaining something, not necessarily monetary.
"Fame came at the price of his privacy."
"Staying up so late every night was a high price to pay."
"Success often has a price, such as less time with your family."
verb
1
To set or determine the cost of something.
"The store priced the jacket too high and it never sold."
"The bakery prices its bread fairly so that everyone can afford it."
"We priced several sofas before deciding which one to buy."
How to use price
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishWhat you pay to get something, or more broadly, what something costs you.
Common pairings
at any price
price tag
pay the price
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like price.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Plural
- prices
- Third person singular
- prices
- Past tense
- priced
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The _____ of the laptop dropped during the holiday sale.
Etymology
From Old French pris, preis, from Latin pretium ("worth, value, reward"); related to "precious" and "appreciate."
Related words
Rhymes for price
See all rhymes for price →Frequently asked questions
What does “price” mean?
The word “price” means the amount of money needed to buy something. In plain terms, what you pay to get something, or more broadly, what something costs you.
How do you pronounce “price”?
“Price” is pronounced PRYS (/ˈpɹaɪ̯s/ in IPA).
How do you use “price” in a sentence?
Here is “price” used in a sentence: “The price of the laptop dropped during the holiday sale.”
What part of speech is “price”?
Depending on how it is used, “price” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “price” come from?
The word “price” comes from Latin. From Old French pris, preis, from Latin pretium ("worth, value, reward"); related to "precious" and "appreciate.".
Is “price” a common word?
“Price” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “price” have?
“Price” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the amount of money needed to buy something.
What is the difference between price and cost?
Price is what a seller asks and a buyer pays for an item. Cost is broader — it can mean what something takes to produce, or the total burden of owning it, including upkeep. A low price doesn't always mean a low cost: a cheap appliance may cost far more to run over time.
What is the difference between price and value?
Price is the money asked for something; value is how much it is actually worth to you. The two often diverge — a high-priced item may offer poor value, while something inexpensive can be excellent value. As the saying goes, price is what you pay and value is what you get.
What determines the price of something?
Price is shaped mainly by supply and demand — scarce, sought-after goods command higher prices. Production costs, competition, branding, and what buyers are willing to pay all feed in. Sellers set a price hoping to cover costs and make a profit while still attracting enough customers to sell.
What is an example of price?
A coffee listed at £3, a car advertised for £15,000, or a concert ticket sold at £45 are all prices — the money needed to buy each item. Prices appear on tags, menus, listings, and receipts, telling buyers exactly what a purchase will cost them.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include price:
