pays

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular present tense of pay.

   The company pays each contractor within thirty days of invoicing.

   Hard work usually pays off in the long run.

   Note

   Any singular subject other than I or you takes this form in the present: she pays, the job pays, honesty pays. It carries every use of the verb, including the one with no object, where pays means 'is worth the effort.' The same spelling also serves as the plural of the noun, but word order nearly always shows which one is meant.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of pay. Rare, since pay is usually uncountable; used mainly for kinds of pay, as in military special pays.

   Hazardous duty pay is one of several special pays for service members.

   Bonuses and special pays help the Navy keep sailors with rare skills.

   Note

   A plural most writers rarely need, because pay is usually uncountable. One speaks of higher pay, not higher pays. The plural appears when separate wage payments are counted or compared, such as the pays owed to different crews or across different months. Where that sounds stiff, rates of pay or wages is the more natural choice.

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