1To pay money — a bill, fee, rent, etc.
レストランで食事の代金を払った。
I paid the bill at the restaurant.
毎月家賃を口座から自動で払っている。
I have my rent automatically paid from my account every month.
彼がパーティーの費用を全て払ってくれた。
He paid for the entire party.
現金ではなくカードで払ってもいいですか。
Is it OK to pay by card instead of cash?
2To brush or wipe something off, such as dust or dirt.
コートの上の雪を手で払ってから入った。
I brushed the snow off my coat with my hand before going in.
棚のほこりを雑巾で払った。
I wiped the dust off the shelves with a cloth.
庭の枝を払い、すっきりさせた。
I trimmed away the garden branches and tidied it up.
3To drive away or repel something in the way, such as a competitor or intruder.
警備員が不審者を追い払った。
The security guard drove away the suspicious person.
新製品でライバル店を市場から追い払った。
They drove rival stores out of the market with a new product.
4To sell off or dispose of something no longer needed.
引っ越しのために古い家具を売り払った。
I sold off my old furniture because of the move.
会社は不要な資産を売り払って現金化した。
The company sold off unneeded assets to raise cash.
5To direct attention, respect, or concern toward something, as in "注意を払う" (pay attention) or "敬意を払う" (show respect).
安全対策にもっと注意を払ってください。
Please pay more attention to safety measures.
彼女は年長者に対して深い敬意を払っている。
She shows deep respect to her elders.
細部にまで配慮を払うことが大切だ。
It's important to pay attention even to the details.
6To expend effort, make sacrifices, or exert oneself for something.
プロジェクト成功のために多大な努力を払った。
We expended a great deal of effort for the project's success.
研究には時間と資金を払わなければならない。
Research requires time and money to be poured into it.
7To move out of and vacate a place one has been occupying; a slightly formal or dated usage, often tied to the end of a lease.
契約満了で部屋を払い、引っ越した。
When the lease ended I vacated the room and moved out.
8In judo and similar martial arts, to sweep an opponent's leg to knock them off balance.
柔道で相手の脚を払って技を決めた。
In judo, he swept the opponent's leg and executed the technique.
9In Japanese calligraphy, to make a bold, trailing brush stroke that sweeps outward.
最後の一画を大きく払って字を書き終えた。
He finished the character by making a large sweeping stroke on the final line.
10On an abacus, to flick the beads back to their starting position.
答えを出したあと、そろばんの珠を払って元に戻した。
After getting the answer, he flicked the abacus beads back to reset it.