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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

pay it forward en · VERB

Meanings

  1. Synonym of pay forward.
    • The study authors, citing other examples of "pay it forward" kindness at fast food restaurants and their own experiments encouraging subjects to help others, write: "Why, in the absence of external sanctions and opportunities for reciprocation, do people help strangers? One possible explanation is that helping is driven by receiving or observing help. In other words, generosity towards strangers may be socially contagious." 2025 November 13, Kamala Thiagarajan, “If you're going to be kind to another human, today is the day to do it!”, in NPR:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
pays it forward Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
paid it forward Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
paid it forward Tense=Past lexicographic
paying it forward Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Synonyms

pay forward